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UK Unveils Sweeping Asylum Overhaul With 20-Year Route to Settlement

Ministers say the Denmark-inspired plan will deter small-boat crossings.

Overview

  • Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood set out the package in Parliament, making refugee status temporary with 30‑month reviews and allowing repatriation when a country is judged safe.
  • The plan extends the wait to apply for permanent residence from five years to 20 years, ending the presumption of a quick path to settlement.
  • The government would revoke the legal duty to provide guaranteed housing and weekly support, with benefits withdrawable from people who can work but do not or who break the law.
  • New powers would allow confiscation of certain assets, including vehicles and jewelry, to offset accommodation costs, with items deemed of sentimental value exempt.
  • Measures would narrow judges’ use of ECHR Articles 3 and 8 to curb last‑minute appeals and speed removals, drawing Labour dissent even as some Conservatives offer support; officials cite over 39,000 small‑boat arrivals this year and Denmark’s model as justification.