Refugees to face 20-year wait to settle permanently under UK asylum reforms

• Posted on November 17, 2025
• by Nana Kwesi Coomson
• Comment

People granted asylum in the United Kingdom will now have to wait 20 years before they can apply for permanent settlement, according to major policy changes set to be announced by UK Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood on Monday.

The sweeping reforms come as the UK government intensifies efforts to reduce small-boat crossings and overall asylum claims—an issue that continues to generate global attention, including across Africa, where many migrants attempt dangerous routes in search of safety or better opportunities.

Under the new plan, individuals granted asylum will no longer receive long-term protection automatically. Instead, they will be given temporary permission to stay in the UK, with their refugee status reviewed periodically. If their home countries are later deemed safe, they will be expected to return.

Currently, refugees in the UK are granted five years of protection before becoming eligible to apply for indefinite leave to remain. Mahmood’s reforms would cut the initial protection period to two-and-a-half years, introduce continuous reviews, and extend the pathway to permanent residency from five years to 20.

Mahmood told the Sunday Times that the changes were “designed to essentially say to people: do not come to this country as an illegal migrant, do not get on a boat.”

She added: “Illegal migration is tearing our country apart,” stressing that the government must “unite our country.”
“If we don’t sort this out, I think our country becomes much more divided,” she told the newspaper.

The new UK policy closely mirrors Denmark’s strict asylum framework, where refugees receive temporary residence permits—usually valid for two years—and must reapply when they expire.

However, the reforms are expected to spark resistance within the governing Labour Party and beyond.

Liberal Democrat home affairs spokesperson Max Wilkinson said it was “right the government looks at new ways to fix the disorderly asylum system created by the Conservatives.”

But he warned that Labour “shouldn’t kid itself that these measures are an alternative to processing claims quickly so we can remove those with no right to be here.”

Enver Solomon, Chief Executive of the Refugee Council, condemned the proposals as “harsh and unnecessary,” arguing they “won’t deter people who have been persecuted, tortured or seen family members killed in brutal wars.”

The policy shift is likely to draw attention from African governments and migrant-rights groups, given the high number of asylum seekers from conflict-affected and economically strained countries across the continent.

Source: BBC