British government announces its largest asylum policy overhaul in modern times

The British government says it will make refugee status temporary and quadruple the wait for permanent settlement to 20 years in the country's most sweeping overhaul to its asylum seeker policies in modern times.

Keir Starmer's Labour Party has been hardening its immigration policies since taking office in an effort to stem the soaring popularity of the populist Reform UK party, which has driven the immigration agenda.

The government said it would take inspiration from Denmark's approach, which one of the toughest in Europe — where growing anti-immigrant sentiment has led to increased restrictions in many countries, a trend that has been widely criticised by rights groups.

Refugee status to be 'regularly reviewed'

As part of the changes, the government's statutory duty to provide support to certain asylum seekers, including through housing and weekly allowances, will be revoked, Britain's Home Office said in a statement issued late on Saturday, local time.

The statement said the measures would apply to asylum seekers who can work but choose not to, and to those who break the law, and that taxpayer-funded support would be prioritised for those contributing to the economy and local communities.

The Home Office also said that protection for refugees would "now be temporary, regularly reviewed and revoked" if the home country was deemed safe.

"Our system is particularly generous compared to other countries in Europe, where, after five years, you're effectively automatically settled in this country. We will change that," Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood told the UK's Sky News on Sunday.

She added that under the changes, a refugee's status would be reviewed every two and a half years, as part of "a much longer path to permanent settlement in this country of 20 years".

Ms Mahmood said she would provide further details of the changes on Monday, including an announcement on whether the new approach would be consistent with Article 8 of the European Convention of Human Rights (ECHR).

The government has said it wants to stay in the ECHR but change how the Article 8 provision, covering the right to a family life, is interpreted.

Ms Mahmood said the article was currently being "applied in a way that is designed to frustrate the removal of those that, under our immigration rules, would not have the right to be in this country".

"The pace and scale of migration is placing immense pressure on communities."

A total of 109,343 people claimed asylum in the UK in the year ending March 2025, a 17 per cent rise on the previous year and 6 per cent above the 2002 peak of 103,081.

Polls suggest immigration has overtaken the economy as British voters' top concern.

Move inspired by Denmark, others in Europe

The Home Office said its reforms are inspired by similar policies enacted in Denmark and other European countries, where refugee status is temporary, support is conditional and integration is expected.

"The UK will now match and in some areas exceed these standards," the department said.

Earlier this year, a delegation of senior Home Office officials visited Copenhagen to study Denmark's approach to asylum, where migrants are only granted temporary residence permits, usually for two years, and must reapply when these expire.

If the Danish government deems their home country safe, asylum seekers can be repatriated.

The path to citizenship has also been lengthened and made more difficult, with stricter rules for family reunification.

Among other measures, 2016 legislation allows Danish authorities to seize asylum seekers' valuables to offset support costs.

Britain currently grants asylum to those who can prove they are unsafe at home, with refugee status given to those deemed to be at risk of persecution.

The status lasts for five years, after which they can apply for permanent settlement if they meet certain criteria.

Denmark has been known for its tough immigration policies for over a decade, which the Home Office says have reduced asylum claims to a 40-year low and resulted in the removal of 95 per cent of rejected applicants.

Criticism by rights groups

The government's tougher approach to immigration has drawn criticism, with more than 100 British charities writing to Ms Mahmood urging her to "end the scapegoating of migrants and performative policies that only cause harm", saying such steps are fuelling racism and violence.

Britain's Refugee Council said on X that refugees did not compare asylum systems while fleeing danger, and that they came to the UK because of family ties, some knowledge of English, or existing connections that help them start anew safely.

Anti-immigration sentiment has been growing in the UK, with protests taking place this summer outside hotels sheltering asylum seekers with state funding.

Such sentiment has also spread across the European Union since more than 1 million people — mostly Syrian refugees — arrived via the Mediterranean in 2015-16, straining infrastructure in some countries.

Unable to agree on how to share responsibility, EU member states have focused on returns and reducing arrivals.

Denmark's reforms in particular, implemented while it remains a signatory to the European Convention on Human Rights, have drawn significant criticism, with rights groups saying the measures foster a hostile climate for migrants.

Reuters