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Written question asked by Andrew Snowden (Conservative) on Wednesday, 13 May 2026, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Tuesday, 19 May 2026 (named day). It was answered by Alex Norris (Labour) on Wednesday, 27 May 2026 on behalf of the Home Office.


Asylum: Polygamy

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many asylum claims were granted to people in polygamous marriages in each of the last 12 months.

Answer

It is government policy to prevent the formation of polygamous and polyandrous marriages in the UK. Only one spouse can be included as a dependant, with any subsequent spouses being unable to apply as a partner unless the other spouse has died or the marriage has been dissolved, in accordance with Section 2 of the Immigration Act 1988 and paragraphs 278-279 of the Immigration Rules.

There is no prescribed format of how a polygamous marriage would be recorded in an asylum claim. Therefore, the information requested is not recorded in a reportable format and could only be collated and verified for the purpose of answering this question at disproportionate cost.


Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
678
Session
2026-27
Subjects
Asylum Marriage Polygamy
Contains statistics
Yes
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk