Europe Asia News

Under plans that Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood will set out on Monday, people who are granted asylum in the United Kingdom will have to wait 20 years before they can apply for permanent settlement.

This major shift in asylum policy comes as the government seeks to reduce small-boat crossings and the number of asylum applications.

According to the plans, people granted asylum will only be allowed to remain in the UK on a temporary basis, their refugee status will be reviewed regularly, and those whose countries are later deemed safe will be told to return.

Refugee status currently lasts for five years, after which individuals may apply for indefinite leave to remain.

The British government also plans to substantially reduce protection and support for refugees and to end automatic assistance for asylum seekers. Those who are able to work but do not, as well as those who commit crimes, will not receive support.

In an interview with the Sunday Times, Mahmood said the reforms are “essentially designed to tell people: do not come to this country as an illegal migrant, do not get on a boat.”

Mahmood added that “illegal migration is tearing our country apart,” stressing that the government’s duty is “to bring our country together.”

She told the newspaper: “If we do not fix this, I think our country will become much more divided.”

According to official figures, with 111,000 applications in June, more people applied for asylum in the British Isles than ever before.