LONDON, Nov 16: People granted asylum in the UK will have to wait 20 years before they can apply for permanent settlement under major reforms expected to be announced by Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood on Monday.

The shake-up comes as the government seeks to curb small boat crossings and rising asylum claims. Under the proposed changes, individuals granted refugee status will initially be allowed to stay in the UK temporarily, with their status regularly reviewed. Refugees whose home countries are later deemed safe would be required to return.

Currently, refugee status lasts for five years, after which individuals can apply for indefinite leave to remain. The new policy will cut the initial period to two-and-a-half years, followed by regular status reviews, while extending the time to gain permanent residence from five years to 20.

Speaking to the Sunday Times, Mahmood said the reforms are “designed to essentially say to people: do not come to this country as an illegal migrant, do not get on a boat.” She added that illegal migration is “tearing our country apart” and that it is the government’s job to “unite our country.”

The policy mirrors Denmark’s approach, where refugees are issued temporary residence permits, typically for two years, requiring them to reapply when the permits expire.

The reforms are expected to face opposition from some Labour MPs. Liberal Democrat home affairs spokesperson Max Wilkinson said the government is right to explore new ways to fix the asylum system, but warned that the measures do not replace the need for swift processing of claims.

Enver Solomon, chief executive of the Refugee Council, criticized the 20-year limit, saying it would leave people “in limbo and in tense anxiety for many, many years.” He called for a system that is “controlled and fair,” where refugees can contribute to communities once granted status.

Official data show 109,343 people claimed asylum in the UK in the 12 months to March, a 17 percent increase from the previous year. In the last seven days alone, 1,069 migrants arrived in the UK, with more than 39,000 people arriving by small boats in 2025. While this exceeds the total arrivals in 2024 and 2023, it remains below the figure recorded at the same point in 2022.