UK to tighten asylum rules, extend wait times for permanent residency
Currently, refugees in Britain receive five years of status before applying for indefinite leave to remain and eventual citizenship. Mahmood proposes cutting the initial period in half and introducing regular reviews to determine continued eligibility. Those from countries deemed safe would be asked to return.
For refugees who arrive illegally, the wait for indefinite leave would increase to 20 years. “Illegal migration is tearing our country apart,” Mahmood said. “If we don’t sort this out, I think our country becomes much more divided.”
Asylum claims in the UK reached a record 111,000 in the year to June 2025, nearly double the number in 2021, according to government data. Legal arrivals would face a 10-year wait, though skilled refugees could shorten it via work or study routes. “It will be essentially a system whereby the more you contribute, you can bring forward that period,” Mahmood said.
The policy would also end the statutory duty to support asylum seekers. Refugees with work permits would lose access to housing and weekly allowances, and support would be withdrawn from anyone who breaks the law.
Mahmood described the current system as “broken” and “unfair,” warning last month that failing to restore order would erode public trust. The move comes as support grows for the anti-immigration, EU-skeptical Reform Party, led by MP Nigel Farage, which a September poll showed backed by 35% of Britons compared with 20% for Labour and 17% for the Conservatives.
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