Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood is set to unveil major changes to Britain’s asylum system on Monday in a bid to address rising concerns over immigration and illegal entries. The reforms, described by officials as “the most sweeping in modern times,” aim to restore control and fairness to the system while curbing small boat crossings from France.

The package will amend laws that currently guarantee housing and financial support to asylum seekers who would otherwise be destitute. Under the new rules, assistance will become discretionary, allowing authorities to deny help to those who can work or have assets. Mahmood framed the changes as necessary to balance compassion with control: “This country has a proud tradition of welcoming those fleeing danger, but our generosity is drawing illegal migrants across the Channel. The pace and scale of migration is placing immense pressure on communities.”

Government sources clarified that the majority of asylum seekers currently receiving support are unlikely to be affected. Most are not permitted to work, and those who can roughly 8,500 individuals with existing visas or long-pending claims will continue under limited provisions. Around 100,000 people currently receive asylum support, a third of whom remain in hotels, although Labour has pledged to end this practice by 2029.

The discretionary powers will allow the Home Office to deny support to those who can work, have assets, fail to comply with removal directions, engage in criminality, disrupt accommodation, or work illegally. Officials emphasized that these will not be “blanket” rules and each case will be assessed individually with mitigating factors considered.

The reforms also draw inspiration from Denmark’s strict asylum system. Among proposed changes:

  • Refugee protection will be reduced from five years to 30 months.
  • Asylum seekers may be returned to their home countries once those nations are deemed safe.
  • Those arriving illegally could wait 20 years before becoming eligible for permanent residency.
  • Priority will be given to migrants who “contribute and integrate,” while additional requirements for benefits retention are under consultation.

Mahmood’s office has studied Denmark’s approach, which includes limiting family reunification, monitoring “parallel societies,” and reviewing refugee status regularly. The Home Office believes the reforms could prevent electoral gains by the hard-right Reform UK party, whose popularity has surged amid a rise in small boat crossings over the past five years.

In parallel, the UK has threatened visa bans on nationals of Angola, Namibia, and the Democratic Republic of Congo if they fail to cooperate with the return of irregular migrants. Home Office Minister Alex Norris warned the countries have one month to comply, noting that similar sanctions could be extended to others.

Critics of the reforms, including Labour MP Tony Vaughan, have condemned the measures as harsh and alienating: “We should be welcoming and integrating—not creating perpetual limbo and alienation. It doesn’t help refugees, and it doesn’t help society.”

While the proposals focus on new arrivals, they signal a stricter era for asylum seekers and refugees in the UK, ending automatic support introduced under EU law in 2005 and significantly altering the rights and protections historically available to those fleeing persecution.

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