The Labour government has unveiled a comprehensive new asylum strategy aimed at deterring migrants from crossing the Channel in small boats and accelerating the removal of those whose claims are refused.
Major changes to refugee protection
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood's 33-page document, entitled Restoring Order and Control, outlines plans to make refugee status temporary rather than permanent. Refugees will now have their status reviewed every 30 months, a significant reduction from the current five-year initial period of leave.
Critics have voiced strong concerns about this approach. Zeena Luchowa, chair of the Law Society's immigration law committee, described the measures as "perverse, unreasonable and punitive" towards genuine asylum seekers.
Escalated removals including families
In a notable policy shift, the government will remove families including children whose asylum claims have been refused. The Home Office is specifically targeting approximately 700 Albanian families who have remained in the UK after their claims were rejected.
The policy includes cutting welfare payments to families who refuse to leave voluntarily. Families will be offered financial support to return to their home countries, with enforced removal following if they decline this assistance.
Peter Walsh from Oxford's Migration Observatory noted this approach bears similarities to hardline policies seen in the US under Donald Trump's administration.
Reduced support for asylum seekers
The government will revoke the legal requirement to support destitute asylum seekers, restoring a discretionary power instead. This change means asylum seekers with the right to work will be denied support, including those who initially entered on work or student visas before claiming asylum.
The document states this obligation was originally implemented to comply with EU law, which the UK is no longer bound to follow since Brexit.
New family definition to curb claims
Labour plans to legislate to ensure the right to family life under Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights only applies to immediate family members. Legal experts note that courts already rarely allow Article 8 claims for anyone beyond immediate families, requiring evidence of close familial bonds.
Barrister Sam Fowles explained: "Courts pay attention to real family bonds, not what is written on a piece of paper."
