Asylum seekers will only be allowed to stay in the UK temporarily under radical reforms to be announced by home secretary
Permanent asylum in the UK will be revoked, with most migrants only granted a “temporary stay” until it is safe to return to their home country.
Shabana Mahmood will announce a radical overhaul of the asylum system on Monday, inspired by reforms in Denmark.
Under the plans, most successful asylum seekers will only be able to stay in the UK temporarily and face being returned to their home country once it is deemed safe.
Ms Mahmood is also expected to impose further restrictions on refugees bringing family members to the UK. Under Denmark’s system, refugees must be at least 24 years old to apply for their partners to join them.
In Denmark, refugees are generally given a two-year temporary residence permit and are not guaranteed a permanent visa. In order to stay in Denmark permanently, refugees must show that they can speak Danish and have been employed for at least three years. Refugees also face the risk of losing their residence rights if they visit their home countries.
The Home Secretary is expected to challenge MPs on the left of his party on Monday, warning: “If you don’t like this, you won’t like whoever comes after me.” The government is under pressure to further reduce immigration levels due to the political threat from Reformation UK.
Ms Mahmood said on Friday she would announce “the most significant changes to our asylum system in modern times”.
“We need to reduce the number of people coming here illegally, we need to remove more people who have no right to be here,” he said in a video posted on
Under the current system, immigrants who gain refugee status are granted permission to remain in the UK for five years and can then apply to stay indefinitely. Once they have indefinite leave to remain, they can apply for British citizenship.
The home secretary announced in September that asylum seekers must “earn” their right to remain in the UK. Migrants wishing to stay in the UK will need to learn a high standard of English, have a clean criminal record and volunteer in the community to qualify for indefinite leave to remain.
They will also need to be working, paying national insurance and not claiming benefits under the proposed changes.
More than 300 charities and voluntary organizations warned Ms Mahmood on Friday against “making volunteering compulsory”. In an open letter coordinated by Asylum Matters, Focus on Labor Exploitation and Praxis, the charities said: “We will not work with forced volunteers. We will not report to the Home Office on the time people freely give to us and their communities.”
Refugee Council Chief Executive Enver Solomon has responded to suggestions that asylum seekers are coming to the UK because of government support. He said: “Refugees don’t compare asylum systems before fleeing for their lives. They come to the UK because they already have family here, speak some English or have long-standing ties that will help them rebuild their lives safely.”
“In reality, people in this situation are often unable to return safely after several years. Attempts to deter people by reducing their rights when they arrive have been tried many times by previous governments and have not worked. They do not stop dangerous journeys; they just create more uncertainty and keep families apart.”
Minnie Rahman, chief executive of refugee charity Praxis, added: “Depriving migrants of basic human rights is not ‘reform’; it is the first step down a very dangerous slope, especially when the next election is surrounded by parties with extreme views on immigration. Immigrants today. Anyone who is politically objectionable tomorrow.”
Labor has stopped the ability of refugees to apply to bring family members to the UK and suspended the legal visa route. Charities including the British Red Cross criticized the move and warned it could make Channel crossings more dangerous.
