Refugees to face longer route to UK settlement rights

Refugees will have to wait longer than the current five years before they can apply to settle permanently in the UK, under changes the government has said it is planning to the asylum system.

It has also confirmed that the route enabling refugees to automatically bring close relatives to the UK - which was temporarily suspended in September - will be permanently scrapped.

Details of the new conditions refugees will have to meet in order to settle in the UK and be accompanied by family members will be set out later in the autumn.

It comes as Sir Keir Starmer meets leaders at the European Political Community summit in Copenhagen where he will be discussing ways to tackle illegal migration.

Ahead of that meeting, the prime minister said "fundamental changes" were being made to the asylum system to show that "settlement must be earned by contributing to the country".

The changes are similar to those already being planned for people coming on legal visas, such as for work, many of whom will have to wait 10 years to settle here.

A government source said the UK had been "overly generous" towards asylum seekers and wanted to show "we get it, we will reduce the pull factors."

Shadow home secretary Chris Philp said: "Tweaking family rules is another Starmer gimmick that will make no difference whatsoever."

The Refugee Council said the government's approach would not deter people trying to get to the UK but would instead push "more desperate people into the arms of smugglers in an effort to reunite with loved ones".

The government has been trying to reduce the numbers of people arriving in the UK on small boats crossing the Channel.

On coming to power in July 2024, Labour promised to "stop the chaos" of the "small boat crisis" but numbers remain at high levels.

Currently refugees can apply to settle in the UK - also called indefinite leave to remain - after five years, giving them the right to live, work and study in the country for as long as they want.

Under the forthcoming rules, the government says refugees will be offered a "package of core protection" but will face "a new, longer route to settlement requiring them to contribute, replacing the current five years".

Earlier this week, Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood set out her plans to make it similarly harder for migrants to qualify for indefinite leave to remain.

Under the proposals, legal migrants will have to learn English to a high standard, have a clean criminal record and volunteer in their community to be granted permanent settlement status.

Reform UK has announced it would replace indefinite leave to remain with visas requiring migrants - including non-EU nationals who already have the status - to reapply every five years.

The Migration Observatory estimates there are about 4.5 million people who hold indefinite leave to remain, including roughly 430,000 non-EU citizens.

The expected changes to settlement rules for refugees will be accompanied by alterations to family reunion conditions.

In September, the then home secretary Yvette Cooper announced that she was pausing the scheme which allowed refugees to bring their family to the UK with "no conditions" attached.

She said new rules would be announced in the coming months but until then refugees would have to face the same restrictions as other migrants - for example earning at least £29,000 and being able to provide the relative with suitable accommodation.

Arguing that the change was needed, Cooper said it was "not fair" that refugees should face a lower bar than others.

She also said the levels were "not sustainable" and that some councils were "finding that more than a quarter of family homelessness applications are linked to refugee family reunion".

During Thursday's summit in Copenhagen, Sir Keir will meet Danish Prime Minister Mette Fredriksen.

The two leaders are expected to announce £3m to encourage people from Western Balkan countries to stay in the region rather than migrate.

The UK government is also contributing up to £5.75m - up from £4m this time last year - to Italy's Rome Process, a scheme aimed at reducing the number of migrants crossing from Africa to Europe.

The government has said the prime minister will also discuss "how to go further" on changing the European Convention on Human Rights.

On Wednesday, Sir Keir told the BBC he did not want to "tear down" human rights laws but was ready to look again at article three of the European Convention on Human Rights, which protects against torture and degrading treatment.

Sir Keir's comments come after a Labour Party conference dominated by efforts to confront Reform UK, which has been leading opinion polls in recent months.

The Conservative Party's conference in Manchester is due to start on Sunday.