LONDON – UK Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has revealed significant reforms to the country’s asylum and returns system, making the permanent residence process stringent for foreign nationals, including Pakistanis.
Addressing a session of the House of Commons, he said the UK will always offer sanctuary to those fleeing danger, but we must also acknowledge that the world has changed and our asylum system has not changed with it.
Our world is a more volatile, and more mobile, place. Huge numbers are on the move. While some are refugees, others are economic migrants seeking to use, and abuse, our asylum system. Even genuine refugees are passing through other safe countries searching for the most attractive place to seek refuge.
The burden that has fallen on this country has been heavy. 400,000 have sought asylum here in the last 4 years. Over 100,000 people now live in asylum accommodation, and over half of refugees remain on benefits 8 years after they have arrived.
Waiting Period for Permanent Residency
The UK home secretary said the government will make refugee status temporary, not permanent. She added that a grant of refugee status will last 2 and a half years, not 5. It will be renewed only if it is impossible for a refugee to return home.
“Permanent settlement will now come at 20 years, not 5,” she announced.
“I know this country welcomes people who contribute. For those who want to stay, and are willing and able to, we will create a new ‘work and study’ visa route, solely for refugees, with a quicker path to permanent settlement.”
To encourage refugees into work, the government will also consult on removing benefits for those who are able to work but choose not to.
Outside of the most exceptional circumstances, family reunion will not be possible, with a refugee only able to bring family over if they have joined a work and study route, and if qualifying tests are met, she added.
“While over 50,000 were granted refugee status in the last year, more than 100,000 claimants and failed asylum seekers remain in taxpayer-funded accommodation, and we know that criminal gangs use the prospect of free bed and board to promote their small boat crossings.”
“We have already announced that we will empty asylum hotels by the end of the Parliament, and we are exploring a number of large military sites as an alternative,” she stated.
These measures are designed to tackle the pull factors that draw people to this country, but reducing the number of arrivals is just half of the story. We must also enforce our rules and remove those who have no right to be here. This will mean restarting removals to countries where they have been paused.
