The UK government has announced major changes to its migration policy. Apart from deportation attacks, the focus is on benefit cuts based on the Danish model. “Our generosity attracts illegal migrants,” said Home Minister Mahmood, explaining the tightening measures.
Britain wants to fundamentally tighten its asylum policy following Denmark’s example and is planning its biggest reforms in decades. “I will abolish British golden passports for asylum seekers,” Home Minister Shabana Mahmood said on Saturday.
The focus of the reform plan is stricter regulations on residency rights and cuts to benefits for migrants. The duration of refugee status should be shortened to 30 months. These protections will be “reviewed periodically” and migrants should return to their home countries as soon as they are deemed safe, the Home Office statement said. The department also said it intended to make migrants granted asylum wait 20 years before they can apply for long-term residency in the UK.
Until now, the UK has granted refugee status for five years to asylum seekers who can prove they are at risk of persecution in their home country. They can then apply for permanent residency and ultimately citizenship.
According to the Home Office, legal obligations to support certain asylum seekers, for example through housing and weekly payments, will also be lifted. The measures will apply to migrants who can work but cannot, as well as those who break the law, Home Minister Mahmood said.
The government in London wants to make the country less attractive to illegal migrants and make deportations easier. “This country has a proud tradition of welcoming people in need, but our generosity attracts illegal migrants across the English Channel,” Mahmood said. The speed and scale of migration places communities under “enormous pressure.” The Home Secretary plans to announce further details on Monday.
Significant increase in asylum applications
Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s government is under huge pressure to reduce the number of migrants in the country due to poor opinion poll figures. His Labor Party, which has been in power for a year and a half, lags far behind in opinion polls than Nigel Farage’s right-wing populist British Reform party, which prioritizes immigration.
According to the survey, the issue of migration has now replaced the economy as the most important concern for voters. In the 12 months to March 2025, 109,343 people applied for asylum in the UK. This number increased by 17 percent compared to the previous year.
With this tightening plan, the government will implement the Danish model, which is considered one of the strictest models in Europe. In Denmark, migrants usually only receive temporary residence permits and must submit a new application if the permit expires. If the government deems their country of origin to be safe, they can be sent home. Additionally, a 2016 law allows authorities to confiscate valuables from asylum seekers to cover the costs of their care.
Human rights groups and charities criticized the British government’s plans. More than 100 organizations in the UK wrote a letter calling on the Home Secretary to end “a scapegoating and spurious debate that is only causing harm.” The British Refugee Council says refugees come to Britain because of family ties or language skills, not because of the asylum system.
Reuters/AFP/dp
