UK Sets Out Denmark-Style Asylum Overhaul With Time-Limited Refugee Status

Overview

• The plan would replace five-year refugee grants with 30-month protection that can be revoked once return is deemed safe.
• Proposals include removing the legal duty to support destitute asylum seekers and seizing applicants' assets and income to offset support costs.
• Ministers cite Denmark's approach as a template, including short permits, tighter family reunification, confiscation policies and 'departure centres' for non-cooperation.
• The UK ranked fifth in Europe for asylum applications per capita in 2024 at 156 per 100,000 people, behind Spain, Germany, Italy and France.
• Home Office data show a 48% overall grant rate in the year to June 2025, 56% for small-boat arrivals, and only 21% of those rejected in 2021 recorded as having left, with analysts also pointing to the loss of EU asylum database access after Brexit.