Overview

• Migrants convicted of sexual offences, including those with sentences under 12 months, will be excluded from asylum protections under new amendments to UK law.
• The government aims to classify all individuals on the sex offenders register as having committed 'particularly serious crimes,' aligning them with terrorists and war criminals under asylum rules.
• A 24-week statutory target for asylum appeal hearings has been introduced to expedite processing and reduce reliance on taxpayer-funded hotel accommodations.
• Artificial intelligence tools will assist caseworkers in processing asylum claims, with the potential to save up to an hour per case through transcript summarization and country advice access.
• The reforms follow high-profile cases, including Abdul Ezedi's chemical attack, and are framed as part of broader efforts to enhance public safety and reduce violence against women and girls.