UK toughens asylum rules to curb migration

The Home Office announced that the United Kingdom’s (UK) overhaul of its asylum programme takes effect on Monday, March 2, 2026, with the new rules drastically cutting protections for refugees and their children.

Under the reforms, refugee status for adults and their accompanying children will be reviewed every 30 months.

“Refugee status will become temporary and subject to review,” the Home Office said in a statement released late Sunday, adding the changes would take effect on Monday, March 2.

It stated that after 30 months, “refugees with a continuing need of sanctuary will have their protection renewed, while those whose countries are now deemed safe will be expected to return home.”

The overhaul includes an exception for unaccompanied minors, who will still receive protected status for a period of five years “while the Government considers the appropriate long-term policy for this group”.

The overhaul was announced in November 2025, with Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood arguing the previous system was too generous compared to other European countries.

“We must also ensure our asylum system is not creating pull factors that draw people on dangerous journeys across the world, fuelling and funding the human traffickers,” she said in the Home Office statement.

The tougher stance has been seen as an attempt to claw back surging support for firebrand Nigel Farage’s hard-right Reform UK party.

However, charities and lawmakers from Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s centre-left Labour party have slammed the changes, arguing they will uproot refugees who settle in Britain.

Other proposed changes, including making refugees wait 20 years – up from the current five – before they can apply for permanent residency, will require parliamentary approval.

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The British government said it had taken inspiration from Denmark, which has driven asylum applications to its lowest level in 40 years after toughening its own immigration stance, according to AFP.

More than 110,000 people, many fleeing conflict, claimed asylum in the UK in the year ending September 2025, which was 13 percent more than the previous year and seven percent more than the previous peak of 103,081 in 2002, according to a Home Office report released in November.

The top five nationalities with the largest number of people claiming asylum were Pakistan, Eritrea, Iran, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh.

While asylum claims in Britain reached a record high, the number of refusals surged, and approvals at the initial stage climbed slightly in 2025 compared to 2024.

The Star