New safe and legal routes for refugees will begin rolling out this autumn, Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has announced, as part of a sweeping overhaul she says will ‘save the asylum system for a generation’.
The reforms, to be delivered through the Immigration and Asylum Bill confirmed in the King’s Speech, include a community sponsorship scheme inspired by Canada’s successful model, which has resettled almost 400,000 refugees since 1979. Under the scheme, community groups, charities, and faith organisations will be able to sponsor refugees, taking responsibility for housing and supporting them into work. Trusted universities will also be able to sponsor refugees through a study route, with applications opening this autumn and the first arrivals expected in autumn 2027. A refugee work route for employers is expected to open next year.
‘This system only survives if the public trusts that it is fair, controlled, and not open to abuse,’ Mahmood said. ‘My goal is simple: to ensure we have an asylum system not just today, but for generations to come.’
The bill will also reform the application of Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights – the right to private and family life – which has been used to block deportations. The government plans to redefine ‘family’ as immediate members only – parents, spouses, and children under 18 – except in exceptional circumstances . The Home Office pointed to a case where a convicted domestic abuser from Poland was allowed to stay as a ‘father figure’ to his nephew as an example of abuse it seeks to prevent .
Modern slavery protections will also be tightened, with foreign nationals who have received custodial sentences losing eligibility for support, and late claims made after removal action has begun facing rejection. Home Office data shows 76% of modern slavery claims by individuals due for removal were made in the hours before departure.
However, critics have voiced concern. Amnesty International UK called the bill ‘deeply alarming,’ warning it would ‘sideline long-established human rights obligations’. The British Red Cross said the reforms ‘will make it harder for refugee families to be together and create more uncertainty for people who have already faced unimaginable trauma.’
Photo: Katie Moum
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