People granted asylum in the UK could face a 20-year wait before becoming eligible for permanent settlement, under sweeping new reforms Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood will announce on Monday.
The overhaul,
one of the most significant changes to asylum policy in years, is aimed at deterring small-boat crossings and reducing the number of asylum claims. Under the proposals, asylum will be granted only on a temporary basis, with refugee status reassessed every few years. Anyone whose home country is later judged safe would be expected to return.
At present, refugees receive five years of protection before they can apply for indefinite leave to remain. Mahmood’s plan reduces that initial period to two-and-a-half years but dramatically extends the journey to permanent residency from five years to 20.
Speaking to The Sunday Times, Mahmood said the measures send a clear warning: “Do not come to this country as an illegal migrant, do not get on a boat.” She argued that irregular migration is “tearing our country apart” and that stabilising the system is essential to “unite our country”.
The UK’s new model mirrors Denmark’s hard-line approach, where refugees receive temporary two-year residence permits and must effectively reapply for asylum each time they expire.
The plans are expected to spark opposition from within Labour Party’s own ranks. Liberal Democrat home affairs spokesperson Max Wilkinson said it was “right” to seek new solutions but warned that Labour “shouldn’t kid itself” that stricter rules are a substitute for swiftly processing claims and removing people with no legal right to stay.
Refugee advocates condemned the proposals as punitive. Enver Solomon, chief executive of the Refugee Council, called the reforms “harsh and unnecessary”, arguing they would not stop people fleeing persecution, torture, or war from seeking safety in the UK.
