We have a proud record of providing protection to those who need it, for as long as it is needed, in accordance with our obligations under the Refugee Convention.

But the asylum system is broken and must be reformed. The Government’s New Plan for Immigration will deliver a new system that is firm but fair. Firm on those seeking to abuse our hospitality but fair on those genuinely in need of protection.

Our new global UK Resettlement Scheme will continue to offer a safe and legal route to the UK for vulnerable refugees from regions of conflict and instability, including children. And to support the integration of those we welcome, this year, we will begin granting indefinite leave to remain to refugees resettled through this scheme and through the Community Sponsorship Scheme immediately on arrival in the UK.

But where an individual travels through a safe third country to get to the UK or where they have a connection to a safe country, we will be able to declare them inadmissible to our asylum system. We will seek to remove such individuals from the UK. And if we cannot remove them, they may only be eligible for a new temporary protection status, which carries with it less generous entitlements. They will need to apply for renewable grants of leave to remain every thirty months, subject to a safe return review. There will be no automatic route to settlement, a presumption of no recourse to public funds except in destitution cases, and no family reunion except for where it would breach our international obligations not to allow family unity.

These measures will send a strong signal that individuals are better off claiming asylum in the first safe country they reach and not risking their lives attempting dangerous crossings the Channel. They will help us to break the business model of people smugglers and criminal gangs who profit out of people’s misery.

This is a fundamental principle of the Government’s New Plan for Immigration.

Home Office