UK’s Asylum System Overhaul: Critical Refugee Protections at Risk in New Plan

The waiting period for asylum seekers to apply for permanent residency in the country is set to increase from five to 20 years under new government regulations.

The government has indicated that both children and adults might face forced removal under the updated policies, with a public consultation planned to discuss these changes.

By March 2025, the number of asylum seekers receiving government support surpassed 106,000.

Despite this, the UK sees fewer asylum claims compared to several EU countries like France, Germany, Italy, and Spain, with most migrants entering the UK legally.

Home Office Minister Alex Norris refuted media claims suggesting that asylum seekers’ jewelry would be confiscated to cover their accommodation costs.

The government has pledged to adopt a stricter stance on deporting individuals, including families, whose asylum applications have been denied.

Visa bans

Echoing United States President Donald Trump’s travel bans restricting nationals from certain countries, the interior ministry threatened to stop granting visas to nationals from Angola, Namibia and the Democratic Republic of Congo unless the countries accepted the returns of “their criminals and illegal immigrants”.

Norris told the UK’s Sky News the countries had “one month to get this in order”, adding there were around 4,000 nationals who could be deported.

Other countries could be targeted, including with an “emergency brake” on visas for people from countries with high rates of asylum claims, who travel to the UK by legal routes.

Asylum claims in Britain are at a record high, with around 111,000 applications made in the year to June 2025, according to official figures.

But the number of initial positive decisions the UK authorities granted fell from 2023 to 2024.

Reactions

The tougher stance has been seen as an attempt to claw back support from the hard-right Reform UK party, which has surged in popularity on the back of public anger over immigration.

Reform’s firebrand leader Nigel Farage celebrated the announcements, saying Mahmood “sounds like a Reform supporter”.

Reform UK leader said UK home secretary Shabana Mahmood “sounds like a Reform supporter” over the proposed changes. Source: AAP / PA / Stefan Rousseau

Kemi Badenoch, leader of the centre-right opposition Conservatives, said the proposed measures were “steps in the right direction” but did not go far enough.

Enver Solomon, chief executive of the Refugee Council, urged the government to reconsider, warning the plans “will not deter” crossings and refugees who work hard should be able to build “secure, settled lives”.

Sile Reynolds, head of asylum advocacy at Freedom from Torture, said the rules would “punish people who’ve already lost everything”, adding this is “not who we are as a country”.

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