What are Westminster's plans to reform the UK's asylum system?

Key Points

Refugee status will last only until a refugee can safely return home
Initial leave to remain will be halved from five years to 30 months
No path to indefinite settled status until a refugee has spent 20 years in the UK
Plans under way to remove support from families who have had their asylum claims rejected but remain in the country
Refugees will be required to contribute towards cost of support with assets or income
Government to scale up deportations of those whose refugee claims have failed and impose sanctions on countries that refuse to take citizens back
Labour is exploring use of ‘return hubs’ in third countries where failed asylum seekers can be sent instead of country of origin
Plans to end unlimited asylum appeals to create ‘single appeal route’

The UK Labour Government has announced a set of major reforms to the UK’s asylum system.

The proposals are aimed at making Britain a less attractive destination for illegal migrants and making it easier to remove them from the UK.

UK home secretary Shabana Mahmood introduced the plans in the House of Commons on Monday. She said illegal migration is “making this country a more divided place”.

“The impact on this country has been profound. Over 100,000 people now live in asylum accommodation, funded by the taxpayer,” she said.

“To the public, who foot the bill, the system feels out of control and unfair. We as a government must be honest. It feels that way because it is. The pace and scale of change has destabilised communities.”

Explaining her proposals, Mahmood said asylum seekers and refugees would not be offered the “generous terms they currently receive”.

“We will no longer have a duty to support those who have the ability to support themselves, nor those who break our laws or rules,” Mahmood said.

“Those who have assets will be forced to contribute to their bed-and-board.”

“When an asylum seeker has failed in their claim, we will take a far more hard-headed approach to removing them.”

Mahmood continued: “We will remove people we have not removed before, including families who have a safe home country they can return to.

“We will remove people to countries where we have, until recently, paused returns. We will reform an asylum appeals system that sometimes seems designed to help frustrate a legitimate removal.”

What’s in the proposals?

If the proposals are passed, refugee status in the UK would become temporary – lasting only until a refugee can safely return home.

It’s all part of what Labour called a new “core protection” offer for asylum seekers.

It marks a significant change in direction – away from an assumption of offering permanent protection, and towards a more basic and temporary protection that would make it harder for asylum seekers to stay in the UK indefinitely.

It would halve the initial leave to remain period from five years to 30 months, and there would be no path to indefinite settled status until a refugee has spent 20 years in the UK.

Refugee access to benefits would also be a priority for those who make economic contributions, and it would remove the automatic right to family reunion.

The government is also working on a plan to remove support from families who have had their asylum claims rejected but have not left the country.

Labour is also considering a so-called “contributions mechanism”, requiring refugees to contribute towards the cost of their asylum support “where they have some assets or income”.

The Government also wants to scale up deportations of those whose refugee claims have failed, impose sanctions on countries that refuse to take their citizens back, and reform the asylum appeals system.

The plans would also introduce the use of artificial intelligence for facial recognition, to detect people who are lying about being children.

Labour is also exploring the use of “return hubs”, which are safe third countries that failed asylum seekers can be sent to instead of their country of origin.

The plans state that negotiations with a number of countries are “ongoing”.

When it comes to asylum appeals, Labour wants to create a single appeal route, which means if an appeal is unsuccessful, the applicant will be required to leave the UK.

The proposals say it closes a current loophole that allows failed asylum seekers to make unlimited and free claims to slow down their deportation.