Overview
- Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood will outline plans at 3:30 p.m. GMT to make refugee status temporary with mandatory reviews every 30 months, ending the automatic route to permanent settlement.
- People who arrive via irregular routes would face a 20-year qualifying period before applying for permanent residency, with limited options to shorten the wait through specified contributions.
- The government will seek to repeal the legal duty to provide asylum support, making housing and allowances discretionary and conditional; ministers say those with assets may be required to contribute, while denying plans to take personal jewellery.
- Legislation is planned to narrow how the ECHR is used in immigration cases, instruct courts to prioritise public safety over Article 8 claims, curb repeat appeals, and tighten family reunion rules.
- The package includes threatened visa restrictions on Angola, Namibia and the DRC for failing to accept returns, plus new capped legal routes and community sponsorship, drawing sharp criticism from charities and some Labour MPs as small‑boat arrivals top 39,000 this year and asylum applications near 111,000.