Overview
- Refugee leave would shift from five years to 30 months with regular reviews, and the wait for permanent residency would extend to 20 years with faster routes tied to work or study.
- Automatic access to housing and cash support for asylum seekers would end, with assistance made discretionary and withheld from those judged able to support themselves or breaking the law.
- The Home Office says it will speed removals and propose limits on the use of European human-rights appeals to block deportations.
- Officials cite 39,292 Channel arrivals so far this year, already above 2024’s total, and an 18% rise in asylum applications in 2024 as justification for tougher rules.
- The plan draws on Denmark’s temporary-status model, faces criticism from the Refugee Council, wins a nod from France’s foreign minister, and is dismissed as superficial by Conservative opponents.