The UK government has pledged to introduce new “capped, safe and legal” pathways later this year for refugees hoping to reach Britain, the Home Office has announced.
Under the proposals, organisations such as universities, community groups and employers would be able to sponsor refugees who apply to settle in the UK — an approach modelled on Canada’s long-running resettlement system.
Alongside the new routes, ministers said they would push ahead with reforms to the way human rights and modern slavery legislation is applied to asylum cases, with the aim of filtering out claims the government regards as baseless or designed to exploit the system.
The plans drew swift criticism from across the political divide. The Conservatives argued that no further arrivals should be allowed until illegal immigration is brought under control, while Reform UK said it would scrap the scheme altogether if it came to power.
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said the overhaul was intended to protect people with legitimate claims while closing loopholes she said had too often been abused. She highlighted Britain’s long tradition of offering refuge to those fleeing war and persecution, but warned that the asylum system can only survive if the public is confident it is fair, properly controlled and not open to misuse.
The announcement comes as Mahmood works to build support for her immigration legislation ahead of an anticipated leadership change that could see Andy Burnham become prime minister. The bill is due before the Commons next week, and some of its tougher elements are expected to face opposition from a number of Labour MPs.
Lessons from Denmark and Canada
Earlier this year, Mahmood looked to Denmark when reshaping the asylum framework, granting only temporary protection to refugees and lengthening the period migrants must wait before they can apply for permanent residency. Those changes angered some within Labour, who believe expanding safe and legal routes is essential to reducing dangerous small-boat crossings.
The latest measures, unveiled on Friday evening, are based on Canada’s community sponsorship programme, which has resettled close to 400,000 refugees since it launched in 1979. According to Home Office figures, roughly 70% of refugees sponsored in Canada find employment within their first year — around 30% higher than the rate for those brought in through government-run schemes.
Britain already resettles a small number of refugees through community sponsorship under the UK Resettlement Scheme (UKRS), though the Home Office noted that most are currently supported by local councils rather than by community sponsors.
The government has faced sustained pressure to reduce the number of asylum seekers housed in hotels at taxpayers’ expense, while the continued arrival of small boats has further weakened public trust in the system.
How the new routes would work
The revamped system would open sponsorship to a wider range of organisations, including what officials described as “trusted universities” and community bodies such as churches — although exactly which groups will qualify remains unclear. Sponsoring organisations would take on responsibility for helping new arrivals find housing and work.
Ministers said they would work with the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) to set eligibility rules, and that security and background checks would be carried out before any refugee travels to the UK.
A work-based route, allowing employers to sponsor refugees, is expected to open next year. Applications for the university route are due to open later this year, with the first arrivals expected in 2027.
The Home Office did not say how many people the new routes would admit, stating only that numbers would be capped and would start from a low base before scaling up — eventually operating at a far higher capacity than the existing UKRS. It added that it would decide which organisations are permitted to sponsor, and that every applicant would face strict vetting.
Political reaction
Conservative shadow home secretary Chris Philp dismissed the plan, suggesting that many of those refused entry through legal channels would still attempt to cross the Channel by small boat regardless, and that the proposals would do nothing to curb illegal crossings.
Zia Yusuf, Reform UK’s home affairs spokesman, argued the scheme had no democratic mandate because it did not appear in Labour’s election manifesto. He issued a direct warning to Burnham, saying Reform would overturn the policy.
Liberal Democrat home affairs spokesman Max Wilkinson called the proposals a move in the right direction, but said much more needed to be done to halt small-boat arrivals.
The Community Sponsorship Alliance, meanwhile, urged ministers to give local people a say in choosing who they sponsor. Its deputy chair, Leonie Ansems De Vries, cautioned the government against drawing eligibility criteria so tightly that it undermines the very public goodwill that makes sponsorship work.
Human rights and modern slavery changes
Some on the right have pressed the government to withdraw from the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), pointing to concerns about appeals lodged under Article 8 — which protects the right to family life — by asylum seekers whose claims have been rejected. The Home Office maintained that remaining in the ECHR is firmly in the national interest, especially given current global instability, but said it would narrow the definition of family to cover only immediate relatives.
Officials are also planning changes to how the Modern Slavery Act is applied, including removing protection from any foreign national who has served a custodial sentence, or in cases where there is evidence that documents have been forged.
The announcement came amid a public clash between Mahmood and her junior minister, Mike Tapp. Writing in The Times, Tapp argued that foreign care workers should be exempt from the home secretary’s proposed changes to visa rules for migrants already living in the UK under the forthcoming immigration bill. Mahmood reportedly called for Tapp to be dismissed, but Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer declined to remove him.
Source: BBC News
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