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Written question asked by Luke Evans (Conservative) on Wednesday, 2 September 2026, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Friday, 4 September 2026. It was answered by Jo White (Labour) on Friday, 11 September 2026 on behalf of the Home Office.

Marriage: Relatives

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will have discussions with relevant statutory and non- statutory third parties to gauge the current levels of cousin marriages where [i] a person was trapped in extended-family control networks, [ii] a person was unable to leave due to kinship pressure, and [iii] the sponsors had histories of coercive control.

Answer

Those wishing to live with a family member need a family visa. Those seeking to come to the UK as a partner or spouse must show that any marriage is valid and that they are in a genuine and subsisting relationship, as set out in the Immigration Rules.

The Family Immigration Rules require that partners must not be closely related but do not prohibit cousin marriage in line with UK legislation.

The joint Home Office and Foreign Office Forced Marriage Unit (FMU) works to combat forced marriage both at home and abroad. Where an immigration application raises concerns that a marriage may have been forced, these are considered as part of the individual case and may be referred to the FMU. Statistics on forced marriage are set out here: Forced Marriage Unit statistics 2025 - GOV.UK.

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
26643
Session
2026-27
Grouped for answer
Yes
Subjects
Marriage Relatives
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk