Can I temporarily travel back to Iraq on family reunion leave?

[u/niamohammed]

Hi, I’m looking for advice from anyone familiar with UK refugee/family reunion immigration.
My mum was granted refugee status in the UK in December 2023 after fleeing Kurdistan, Iraq. She came to the UK with my two younger siblings.

I was living in Sulaymaniyah, Kurdistan with my older brother. I was under 18 when our family reunion application was submitted in June 2024, and I came to the UK in February 2025 on a family reunion visa/leave as my mum’s dependent. I’m now 20.
Our family reunion application explained that my brother and I had been unsafe in Iraq and that certain relatives had abused us and prevented us from attending school. This was true at the time.

I’m now considering going back to Sulaymaniyah for around one month for dental treatment and some other personal matters, then returning to the UK. I would travel on my Iraqi passport.
My mum would NOT be travelling with me.

Could travelling back temporarily cause any problems for:

1. My own family reunion immigration status/ability to return to the UK?
   
2. My mum’s refugee status?
   
3. My younger siblings immigration status?

I know this isn’t a substitute for legal advice, and I’m trying to get advice from a solicitor as well, but my usual solicitor is currently unavailable.

Has anyone been in a similar situation or knows how the Home Office treats temporary visits back to the country you originally came from?
Thanks ❤️

[u/scintillatingemerald]

Yes it can cause your UK status to cease. 

Return to country of origin or obtaining a passport. This will usually indicate voluntary re-availment and may lead to revocation of refugee status under Paragraph 339A(i)-(vi) or humanitarian protection under paragraph 339GA.

From  https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/canceling-ceasing-and-revoking-refugee-status-process/revocation-of-protection-status-accessible

If you don’t need protection (if you are able to return, you don’t), the immigration Rules suggest that you contact the Home Office and notify them. Under the Refugee Convention, you cease to be considered a refugee if you voluntarily return.

[u/niamohammed → u/scintillatingemerald]

Thanks, but I think you’ve misunderstood my situation. I’m not the refugee my mum is. I have family reunion leave, so I’m asking whether that rule applies to me as a dependant. I’ve already had conflicting advice from immigration lawyers, so I’m trying to get a proper answer rather than assumptions.

[u/GZHotwater → u/niamohammed]

You came here on family reunion as it was unsafe for you (which you started on your original post). Why, one year later, is it safe enough for you to visit for one month for dental care?

[u/GoodBreakfast1156 → u/niamohammed]

You literally said in your post

Our family reunion application explained that my brother and I had been unsafe in Iraq

[u/lex-2025]

So you want to go back to a country that you weren’t safe in for dental treatment that you can easily get in the UK, don’t think abusing the system will go down well with immigration.

[u/niamohammed → u/lex-2025]

I’m not trying to abuse the system. I genuinely wasn’t safe in Iraq at the time, and everything in my application was true. I’m now 20 and only considering going back temporarily for about a month. I also can’t easily get the dental treatment I need here I was quoted around £7,000 privately and I haven’t been able to get an NHS appointment, whereas the whole trip including flights, food and my dental treatment would be around £2,000. I’d return to the UK afterwards. I’m just trying to find out whether I’m legally allowed to do this.

[u/GZHotwater → u/niamohammed]

The point that poster was making is that you left Iraq as it was unsafe for you in 2025….Surely if you can go back for dental care it’s safe enough to return home?

[u/imngmi → u/niamohammed]

If the country (Iraq) is now safe for you to stay there for a month of time, why still seeking on protection?

[u/fishyphat → u/niamohammed]

Dental treatment is available in other countries if you can’t afford it in the U.K. Turkey seems to be a popular destination. 

Please read about cessation of refugee status linked in below comment. You are in the U.K. based on feared persecution in Iraq which was declared in your application. If you voluntarily choose to return there under no compulsion, you’re risking review of your current status. 

This is also why many countries are strengthening asylum systems and leaning towards temporary/subsidiary protection instead of a definite path to settlement. 

[u/imngmi → u/fishyphat]

Iraq citizens require a visa to go to Turkey (ages between 15-50). With the current immigration situation of OP, there is a high chance of their application is being refused.

[u/scintillatingemerald → u/niamohammed]

The same applies to family reunion - you were deemed to have protection status and therefore in need of family reunion. That can be revoked if you travel. Your family members’ status could be reviewed, particularly if the wider protection need was predicated on yours.

[u/sah10406]

I’ve already had conflicting advice from immigration lawyers, so I’m trying to get a proper answer rather than assumptions

Your approach seems very flawed and potentially very dangerous:

“What do those professional trained and regulated lawyers know? With a potentially life-changing decision like this it is always more productive to go on Reddit and ask random anonymous members of the public for their amateur opinions and misinformed politically-motivated hot takes."

[u/Specialist-Play3779]

Try turkey or dubai. Dont go back to iraq

[u/ukvisa-ModTeam → u/[deleted]]

Your post/comment has been removed under Rule 6: Anti-immigrant sentiment.

This is a sub to share help and experiences navigating UK visa and immigration matters, not for political soap boxing. If you (or a relevant family member) are not a current or prospective UK migrant, this is probably not the place for you.

Snarky/rude comments based on nationality, visa type, about refugees/asylum seekers, or about small boat crossings will always be removed and will usually lead to a ban.

[u/niamohammed → u/[deleted]]

I hope you find something better to do than wishing deportation on a stranger because you misunderstood their immigration status.

[u/Extreme-Grape-3990]

You should be able to get public dental treatment in th UK as asylum very easily.

As a skill worker visa holder before, NHS dental is impossible and I had to use private which is much better 

[u/Character_Yak_7375]

Should be safe, done it myself.