UK to Toughen Rules on Refugees Seeking Permanent Residency

The UK government stated on Oct. 2 that it plans to change the requirements for refugees to permanently settle in the UK and end the automatic right of those granted asylum to bring their families to the country.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said there will be no “golden ticket” for those wanting to remain and that he plans to introduce a requirement for refugees to earn their right to a long-term stay.

His announcement comes amid growing concern regarding immigration to the UK, particularly surrounding the policy of housing immigrants in hotels.

New applications via the existing refugee family reunion route were suspended in September.

“I believe that if you want to come to the UK, you should contribute to our society,” Starmer said. “Settlement must be earned by contributing to our country, not by paying a people smuggler to cross the Channel in a boat.”

He said the UK would welcome “genuine refugees fleeing persecution” but must also address the factors driving illegal small boat crossings.

UK Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood will outline the reforms in full later this year. After these reforms, refugees will face a longer route to resettlement.

Refugees will still be entitled to a “package of core protection” and not returned home under the changes, but they will “face a new, longer route to settlement requiring them to contribute, replacing the current 5 years, and they will not have the automatic right to family reunion,” the government said in a statement.

Mahmood said earlier this week at the Labour Party conference that tougher conditions would be introduced to secure “indefinite leave to remain.”

“I know that the British people welcome those who come here and contribute, but contribution is a condition of that welcome,” Mahmood said. “For that reason, we will soon increase the time in which someone must have lived in this country to earn ‘indefinite leave to remain’ from five years to 10.”

Mahmood said on Sept. 29 that, during consultations, she would be proposing a series of new tests, such as “being in work,” “making national insurance contributions,” “not taking a penny in benefits,” “learning English to a high standard,” and “having no criminal record.”

Starmer is due to hold talks on how European countries can work together to tackle illegal immigration at the European Political Community summit in Copenhagen, Denmark, on Oct. 2.

He will also announce a partnership to tackle the causes of migration in Western Balkan countries during a meeting with Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen.

The move by the UK reflects an emerging trend of European nations tightening their immigration rules and making entering their countries less attractive to migrants.

The Netherlands announced plans on Sept. 26 to double the length of time a foreigner must live in the country before he or she can gain citizenship.

Until now, immigrants could apply for naturalization after living in the Netherlands for five years. Under new plans, they will need a decade of uninterrupted residence in the country and will have to be judged as “fully integrated” into Dutch society before citizenship can be granted.

“By extending the naturalization period from 5 to 10 years, we ensure that people have a stronger bond with our Kingdom and are truly well-integrated and can fully participate in society before they become Dutch citizens,” State Secretary for Justice and Security Arno Rutte said.

The Italian government is still fighting to get its plans to hold and process illegal immigrants off the ground. It has been stymied by legal challenges both at the national and European levels.

Numerous countries within the free movement Schengen Area have also reintroduced border controls because of concerns about migration and the threat it poses to their national security.

Currently, more than one-third of Schengen members have issued notifications of the temporary reintroduction of border controls.