The British government has announced the most extensive overhaul of asylum policy in decades, removing guaranteed support for claimants and significantly tightening pathways to permanent settlement.
Shabana Mahmood, the Home Secretary, is expected to confirm the plans on Monday. Under the changes, automatic access to housing and financial aid for asylum seekers will end. Instead, assistance will be granted on a discretionary basis by the Home Office.
The reforms will affect those who are able to work, own assets, or have broken immigration laws. Support can also be withdrawn from those found guilty of criminal behaviour or who fail to comply with removal directions.
Mahmood said the current system encourages irregular migration across the Channel.
“This country has a proud tradition of welcoming those fleeing danger, but our generosity is drawing illegal migrants across the Channel,” she said.
“The pace and scale of migration is placing immense pressure on communities.”
More than 111,000 asylum applications were recorded in the year to June 2025, the highest figure ever registered in the UK. According to the Home Office, over 39,000 people arrived illegally this year, most crossing the English Channel in small boats.
Polls show immigration has surpassed the economy as the public’s primary concern. The Labour government is facing increasing pressure from the populist Reform UK party, which has seen a steady rise in support amid concerns about border control.
The Home Office said the new rules aim to deter irregular arrivals and prioritise those contributing to the economy and integrating into local communities.
Those granted asylum will no longer receive five years of refugee protection. Under the new measures, refugee status will last 30 months and be subject to regular review. The government will also have the power to revoke protection and repatriate individuals when their countries of origin are considered safe.
Applicants will now need to wait 20 years before they can apply for permanent settlement, replacing the current five-year period. The changes apply to new arrivals only.
A Home Office spokesperson said the UK will match and in some areas exceed the policies of European states where refugee protection is temporary and linked to integration.
“Support will no longer be a given,” the spokesperson said. “It becomes a discretionary power. This means the Home Office can deny assistance to those who can work, have assets, fail to comply with removal directions, engage in criminality, disrupt accommodation settings, or work illegally.”
The government added that each case will be assessed individually, with mitigating circumstances considered.
The new policy follows a Home Office visit to Denmark earlier this year. The Danish system has sharply reduced the number of asylum approvals and removals of rejected applicants are at their highest rate in four decades.
Denmark grants temporary protection for two years, reviews refugee status regularly, and can return individuals to their countries if deemed safe. It also limits family reunification and excludes residents of neighbourhoods classified as “parallel societies” from bringing relatives to join them. Danish authorities are also allowed to confiscate valuables from asylum seekers to offset costs.
The UK’s reforms have drawn criticism from more than 100 charities and human rights groups. In a joint letter to Mahmood, they accused the government of “scapegoating migrants” and fuelling discrimination.
The Home Office estimates around 100,000 people in the UK currently receive asylum-related support, including accommodation and a weekly allowance. Roughly one-third remain in hotels, despite Labour’s pledge to end the use of hotels by 2029.
Only a minority of asylum seekers are allowed to work. This includes individuals who arrived on visas and later claimed asylum, and a limited number whose cases remain unresolved after one year and who qualify for work in shortage occupations.
HT
