The British government is preparing to announce a major overhaul of its immigration policy in an effort to curb the growing influx of illegal migrants into the country.
UK Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood is expected to present on Monday a series of measures designed to make it significantly more difficult for asylum seekers and other migrants to obtain permanent residency in the United Kingdom.
Under the proposed reform, migrants who receive refugee status would be required to wait 20 years before becoming eligible to apply for permanent residency. Currently, refugees may seek indefinite leave to remain after five years, and later apply for citizenship.
Mahmood noted that “the new process will shorten the duration of refugee status to 30 months. This protection will be regularly reviewed, criteria tightened and refugees will be required to return to their countries of origin once those countries are deemed safe.”
The reform also grants the government broader discretion in determining eligibility for financial aid and housing support. Authorities would be able to deny such benefits to migrants who are not in severe, life-threatening hardship - a change from the present system, in which more than 100,000 migrants receive housing and other assistance.
In an interview with the Sunday Times, the Home Secretary added that the reforms are intended to send a clear message: “Do not come to this country illegally; do not get on a boat. Illegal immigration," she said, is “tearing our country apart,” and the government’s responsibility is to “bring our country together. If we don't fix this, I think our nation will become far more divided.”