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Migrants disembark from a British Border Force vessel as they arrive at the Port of Dover, in Britain (Reuters file photo) Britain on Monday unveiled a sweeping plan to harden its asylum system, proposing measures that would make refugee status temporary and rewrite how key human rights protections are applied — all aimed at speeding up deportations of people who arrive in the country illegally.
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood, who unveiled the far-reaching reforms, warned that “dark forces are stirring up anger” around migration.
Her comments come amid rising support for Nigel Farage’s Reform UK, fuelled by public frustration over successive governments’ inability to curb unauthorised small-boat crossings in the English Channel and concerns about hotels being used to house asylum seekers.
Here are five major things the new changes will aim at:
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has announced what ministers describe as the most significant reforms to Britain’s asylum system “in modern times”, drawing heavily on Denmark’s tougher model. The changes make refugee status temporary, overhaul appeals, restrict human-rights protections and introduce visa penalties for countries that refuse to take back their nationals.
Under the new system, people granted asylum will no longer receive long-term protection. Instead, as per a report by the BBC, they will get a 30-month temporary status, which must be reviewed repeatedly. They could be sent back if their home country is later judged safe.
The shift mirrors Denmark’s approach, where refugees must reapply for protection every two years. The UK has already encouraged voluntary returns to Syria and now plans to explore forced returns.
The path to permanent residency also becomes stricter: refugees will need 20 years in the UK before applying for indefinite leave to remain, up from the current five.
A new “work and study” visa route will let refugees who take up jobs or education settle more quickly and sponsor family; those who remain on temporary asylum cannot.
The government will scrap multiple appeals in asylum cases, replacing them with one consolidated appeal, handled by a new, independent tribunal supported by early legal advice.
Legal changes will narrow how Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights — the right to family life — applies in migration cases. Only those with immediate family (parents or children) will qualify to stay.
Ministers also plan to tighten the use of Article 3, arguing that current interpretations allow repeated appeals, including by serious offenders whose deportations have been halted over healthcare concerns.
Under the Modern Slavery Act, last-minute trafficking claims will be curbed by requiring early disclosure of relevant information. Late evidence will carry less weight.
The proposed changes will remove the legal obligation to provide guaranteed accommodation and weekly payments to asylum seekers.
Support will be reserved for those who are genuinely destitute. It will be withheld from people with permission to work who do not take up employment, and from individuals who refuse removal directions, the BBC reported.
Asylum seekers with assets will be required to contribute to their accommodation costs — a system similar to Denmark, where savings can be seized. The government is also consulting on ending ongoing support for families whose claims have been refused — currently extended until their youngest child turns 18. Those who decline voluntary return will face enforced removal.
Alongside tightening asylum access, the UK will open regulated routes for arrivals: Community and volunteer groups will be able to sponsor refugees, similar to the Homes for Ukraine scheme. Additionally, the Displaced Talent Mobility pilot will expand, letting UK businesses sponsor at-risk workers to fill skill shortages.
Arrivals through these legal routes will qualify for a streamlined ten-year path to settlement.
Countries that fail to cooperate in taking back their nationals could face visa restrictions, including an “emergency brake” on all visas.
The UK has already named Angola, Namibia and the Democratic Republic of Congo as potential targets. They have one month to improve cooperation before sanctions begin.
The Home Office said visa bans will be imposed on countries “unless they accept the return of their criminals and illegal immigrants”, arguing the penalties are necessary because of what it called “unacceptably low cooperation and obstructive returns processes.”
The Home Office plans wider use of AI-based age assessment tools for asylum seekers claiming to be minors.
A new digital ID system is also planned before the end of the current Parliament session to strengthen right-to-work checks and reduce the use of fraudulent documents.
Mahmood has warned that “dark forces” are exploiting weaknesses in Britain’s migration system, fuelling public anger and threatening long-term trust in asylum policy. Writing in The Guardian, Mahmood said the UK had always been a tolerant, welcoming country, but argued that the current system was vulnerable to abuse and risked losing “popular consent” unless urgently reformed.
She acknowledged that her proposals — which include changes to refugee protections and tougher deportation rules — may trigger criticism from within her own Labour Party, particularly from those who believe recognised refugees should not be forcibly removed. But she insisted that inaction would give space to those stoking hostility, citing protests outside hotels housing asylum seekers as an example of rising tensions.
“A country without secure borders is a less safe country for those who look like me,” said Mahmood, whose parents migrated to the UK from Pakistan in the late 1960s and 1970s.
As part of the overhaul, the government plans to tighten the interpretation of Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights, which protects the right to family life. Only immediate family — such as parents or children — would count, closing what ministers describe as a loophole that allows people to rely on “dubious connections” to avoid removal.
Mahmood said the government would now take a “far more hard-headed approach” to removals, including for families whose asylum claims have been rejected, as part of efforts to restore confidence and curb misuse of the system.
(With inputs from Reuters)
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