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Refugees in the UK may soon face a 20-year wait before becoming eligible for permanent residency, as Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood prepares to unveil sweeping changes to the country’s asylum system.
The UK government is preparing to introduce one of its most significant asylum policy overhauls in years, with new proposals requiring refugees to wait 20 years before applying for permanent settlement. The measures, expected to be announced on Monday by Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood, form part of a broader strategy aimed at reducing small boat crossings and cutting down asylum claims.
Under the new reforms, individuals granted asylum will no longer receive long-term security. Instead, they will be allowed to remain in the UK only on a temporary basis, with their refugee status reassessed every two-and-a-half years. If their home countries are later considered safe, they will be expected to return.
At present, refugee status is granted for five years, after which individuals can apply for indefinite leave to remain. Mahmood’s plan shortens that initial period to 2.5 years, while dramatically increasing the wait for permanent settlement from five years to twenty.
Speaking to The Sunday Times, Mahmood said the reforms were intended to send a clear message: people should not attempt to enter the UK illegally or cross the Channel in small boats. She warned that “illegal migration is tearing our country apart” and stressed the government’s responsibility to “unite our country” by restoring order to the system.
The proposals mirror Denmark’s strict asylum framework, where refugees receive temporary two-year residence permits and must effectively reapply for protection each time these expire. Denmark, governed by the centre-left Social Democrats, currently maintains one of Europe’s toughest asylum regimes.
The UK government’s approach is already drawing criticism. Some Labour MPs are expected to oppose the reforms. Meanwhile, Liberal Democrat home affairs spokesperson Max Wilkinson said that while exploring new solutions was important, Labour should not assume such measures replace the need for faster processing of asylum claims.
Enver Solomon, chief executive of the Refugee Council, condemned the proposals as “harsh and unnecessary”. He argued that the changes would not deter people fleeing persecution, torture, or violent conflict. Many of those seeking asylum, he said, have endured extreme suffering that no policy change can erase.
