The measure is part of a series of reforms by the Labor government that will be detailed next week
The British government will reduce the protection granted to refugees, who will be “required to return to their countries of origin as soon as it is considered safe”, the Home Office announced this Saturday (15) in a statement.
This measure is part of a series of reforms by the Labor government that will be detailed next week, with the aim of reducing the number of immigrants arriving in the . The government also announced that it will abolish automatic access to social assistance for asylum seekers.
The measures respond to criticism that has boosted Nigel Farage’s anti-immigration Reform UK party, which has led the polls for months. They will be detailed on Monday in parliament by the Minister of Interior, Shabana Mahmood.
“Thanks to more generous conditions in the United Kingdom”, refugees can now settle permanently, free of charge, after five years, “without contributing to the country”, indicated the ministry.
The new system will reduce the duration of their stay from five years to 30 months, and will multiply by four, from five to 20 years, the period necessary to apply for permanent residence, the ministry detailed.
The prime minister’s government, which came to power in July 2024, is under almost daily pressure to halt immigrant arrivals and restrict their rights.
Several demonstrations have been organized this year in front of hotels housing asylum seekers, and a protest organized by the far right in mid-September brought together up to 150,000 people, according to police. In this context, the Starmer government has promised to reduce the number of migrants crossing the English Channel.
Since January 1, 39,292 people have disembarked on the English coast after the dangerous crossing, a number that exceeds that of 2024 (36,816).
*With information from AFP
