We want to hear your experiences of using the Family Visa

Revealing Reality has been commissioned by the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) to explore people’s experiences of applying for and using the Family Visa. This project aims to explore the impact of the financial thresholds for accessing the Family Visa, as well as the visas impact on family life. Your contribution to this research will help the MAC understand the experiences of those who have applied for or are on the Family Visa.  

Taking part involves an informal in-person interview with a researcher from Revealing Reality. The interview would take place either in-person in your home, or remotely via video call. The interview would last approximately 1-2 hours in total. The conversation will cover topics such as your experience applying for the Family Visa, your family life, and your experience living in the UK. 

The researcher will record the conversation with a dictaphone and will also take photographs. Audio recordings and photographs will be used later to help bring your story to life. Please read the 'How will the information be used?’ section for more information about how these images will be used or ask the researcher interviewing you for more information. 

You will be compensated with a payment to thank you for your time.

You do not have to answer any questions you don’t feel comfortable with. The research is entirely voluntary – if at any stage you feel uncomfortable, please do tell the researcher that you think the session should end. You can withdraw from the research at any time, without giving a reason by contacting the Revealing Reality team (see contact details below). 

Revealing Reality is an independent social research company based in London. All of our researchers have up-to-date DBS checks and have done a lot of work talking with people about their visas.  

If you have any further questions about the research, feel free to get in touch with the Project Manager. 

Name: Tom Gladstone 

Email: tom.gladstone@revealingreality.co.uk

Telephone: +44 (0)20 7735 8040 

Your data will be anonymised – you will be given a pseudonym and any personally identifying information (such as your address, your real name, or your contact details) will be removed.  

There are a few things you should know about the information we collect as part of our research:  

• As part of our delivery of research to the Migration Advisory Committee and secretariat, Revealing Reality will be handing over some information about the people we speak with. This will include anonymised stories, quotes, and information used in presentations and written reports, which may be published.  

• Any information about you that is passed to Migration Advisory Committee and secretariat as part of a delivery of research findings will be anonymised. 

• If you consent to it, we will also be sharing a video or audio recording of the interview with the Migration Advisory Committee and secretariat via a secure platform controlled by Revealing Reality. You are welcome to review the recording before we share them with the Migration Advisory Committee and secretariat. Otherwise, we will assume you are happy for the recording to be shared. It will only be shared for a limited time. 

• Revealing Reality act in accordance with the Data Protection Act 2018 and UK-GDPR. To view our privacy policy, please visit the information on our website (www.revealingreality.co.uk) 

• Revealing Reality will store all personal data in relation to organising the fieldwork confidentially and securely and this will not be passed to Migration Advisory Committee and secretariat.  

• On this project, Revealing Reality is the data processor and the Migration Advisory Committee and secretariat is the data controller.   

• Revealing Reality’s data protection policies states that personal information from respondents is deleted from our systems within 2 years, once it is no longer necessary to use. 

• You can withdraw consent for future uses of your information, film and/or photographs up until the end of the project at the end of April 2025. 

If you have any questions about this at this time, please feel free to get in touch with the Project Manager.  

Name: Tom Gladstone 

Email: tom.gladstone@revealingreality.co.uk

Telephone: +44 (0)20 7735 8040 

If the topic of the research has worried or upset you, here are a few more places where you can find advice or support.   

MIND

• Website: www.mind.org.uk 

• Call the Mind Infoline: +44 (0)300 123 3393 

• Email: info@mind.org.uk 

• Or send a text message to: 86463 

Samaritans

• Website: www.samaritans.org

• Call: 116 123 

• Email: jo@samaritans.org

Refugee Council

• Call: 0808 196 7272 

• Website: https://www.refugeecouncil.org.uk/get-support/

Reunite Families UK

• Email: hello@reunitefamiliesuk.co.uk

• Website: https://www.reunitefamiliesuk.co.uk/