UK's Radical Asylum Overhaul: 20-Year Wait Sparks Refugee Rights Battle

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood outlined measures aimed at reducing small-boat arrivals and returning refugees to their home countries once safe to do so. "We have a system that is out of control," Mahmood said, adding, "It's unfair, and it's putting huge pressure on communities. It is important that we restore order and control to this system, so that we can retain public permission and public confidence in having an asylum system at all."

Under the reforms, the "automatic path" to settlement after five years will end, CNN reported. Refugee status will be reviewed every two-and-a-half years during a new 20-year timeline before applicants can seek permanent settlement. Mahmood said the shift would overturn a "generations-old assumption" that sanctuary quickly leads to settled status "and all of the rights that go alongside that." She stressed, "If your country becomes safe in the intervening period... you will be returned to your country."

Those arriving through legal routes will also face longer settlement waits -- 10 years instead of the current five, CNN reported. The government will remove housing and weekly financial support from people who have the right to work and can support themselves but "choose not to." Mahmood argued, "It is not fair if British citizens and long-term residents in this country have to follow one set of rules and comply, and another group of people - who also have the right to work - get away with not complying."

The policy draws heavily from Denmark's model, one of Europe's strictest, but Britain is poised to go further, CNN reported. With a 20-year pathway, the UK would have the longest settlement process in Europe, compared to Denmark's eight-year route. The Labour government says it seeks to balance firm border enforcement with a fair asylum structure after winning a landslide election in 2024.

Mahmood rejected claims that Labour is echoing far-right rhetoric, saying the debate is being driven by consequences felt across local communities. "This is a moral mission for me, because I can see illegal migration is tearing our country apart. It is dividing communities. People can see huge pressure in their communities and they can also see a system that is broken, and where people are able to flout the rules, abuse the system, and get away with it," she said.

She criticised the previous Conservative government for spending vast sums while failing to deter illegal migration, CNN reported. Mahmood pointed to the contentious Rwanda deportation initiative, saying it cost £700 million ($920) and resulted in only four removals, "all volunteers."

Other political parties signalled they will not strongly oppose the reforms, CNN reported, with some Conservatives calling the proposals "sensible," while others argued they are not "radical" enough. Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey also acknowledged efforts to "tackle the chaos."

Government officials say reforms take inspiration from Denmark and other nations where refugee protection is temporary and conditional. Mahmood said asylum claims are rising in the UK while decreasing elsewhere in Europe, noting, "In the last four years, 400,000 people claimed asylum here. Over 100,000 are housed and supported at taxpayers' expense, putting huge pressure on local communities."

Rights organisations, however, have raised serious concerns. Britain's Refugee Council warned that asylum seekers are fleeing life-threatening situations and are not "asylum shopping." The group wrote, "People who have been persecuted, tortured or seen family members killed in brutal wars are not 'asylum shopping'... refugees don't compare asylum systems before running for their lives."

It added, "We know why people come to the UK: because they already have family here, they speak some English, or they have long-standing ties that help them rebuild their lives in safety."

- ANI