This consultation sets out the government's proposals to reform the family route. It focuses on preventing and tackling abuse, promoting integration and reducing burdens on the taxpayer. It seeks to deliver better migration, which is fair to applicants, local communities and the taxpayer.

Family migration still accounted for approximately 17 per cent of all non-European immigration in the year to September 2010.

The consultation paper concentrates on the family route: non-European nationals entering, remaining in or settling in the UK on the basis of a relationship with a British citizen or a person settled here. This includes fiance(e)s, proposed civil partners, spouses, civil partners, or unmarried or same-sex partners, dependent children and adult and elderly dependent relatives.

But the paper also looks more widely at all forms of family migration, including the family members of workers and students under the points-based system, refugee family reunion, and family visitors.