{"id":451,"date":"2026-04-27T13:00:42","date_gmt":"2026-04-27T12:00:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/housing-rights.info\/news\/?p=451"},"modified":"2026-04-28T11:36:36","modified_gmt":"2026-04-28T10:36:36","slug":"governments-triple-whammy-on-asylum-support-refugee-status-and-settlement","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/housing-rights.info\/news\/governments-triple-whammy-on-asylum-support-refugee-status-and-settlement\/","title":{"rendered":"Government\u2019s triple whammy on asylum support, refugee status and settlement"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

In past months, the government has produced a barrage of policy and legal changes. With help from the Greater Manchester Immigration Aid Unit\u2019s (GMIAU) April update<\/a>, we give you the latest on the different proposals. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Earned settlement\u202f <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A GMIAU \u202finformation sheet<\/a>\u202f goes into detail on the government\u2019s declared plans for so-called \u2018earned settlement\u2019. These would extend routes to settlement\u202f(Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR))\u202fto a default 10 years, with\u202f15-, 20- and 30-year\u202froutes for some, and introduce new mandatory requirements for settlement. The measures\u202fare\u202fmainly aimed\u202fat people on migration routes, but how they\u202fmight\u202finteract with refugee status is not yet clear. The government has said they\u202fwant\u202fthe changes to be retrospective \u2014 to\u202fapply\u202fto people already here who do not yet have settlement. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What has changed already?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Of the earned settlement reforms, only the English language requirements have been changed so far, but they don\u2019t take effect until March 2027.\u202fOther changes\u202fare now expected in the autumn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why the delay?<\/strong> <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The Home Affairs Select Committee (which received 5,700 written submissions<\/a>) warned<\/a> that the Home Office is not currently equipped to deliver such a large-scale overhaul and urged the government to “get changes right rather than to implement them quickly”. The government consultation received over 200,000 responses<\/a>, which it now needs to review before final rules are published. In the meantime, the five-year route to ILR still applies. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

More responses are detailed below. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Refugee status <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The home secretary has made major changes<\/a> to how refugee status works in the UK, making it far less secure.\u202fPeople who claim asylum on or after\u202f2 March 2026 or\u202fmake a fresh claim on or after that date, will be granted 30 months of \u2018core protection\u2019 status. After that\u202fperiod\u202fthey will need\u202fto reapply. Their situation will be reviewed each time to decide whether protection is still needed, and refugee status could be revoked if their home country is judged to be \u201csafe\u201d.\u202fTheir\u202fstatus will need to be renewed eight times\u202ffor up to 20 years before they can apply for settlement. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What has changed already?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

This change has been made and placed in the immigration rules.\u202fNote that it does not apply for people who already have refugee status, people who claimed asylum before the\u202f2\u202fMarch 2026, or to unaccompanied children \u2014 even if they turn 18 before receiving an asylum decision. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

We do not yet have any information about what the process for renewing \u2018core protection\u2019 status will look like. The only change that has been made is that 30 months\u2019 status will be given instead of five years. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

How have organisations responded?<\/strong> <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A joint statement<\/a> from the Refugee Councils of Great Britain warns that the \u201cpolicy will prolong uncertainty for refugee families, which makes rebuilding lives much harder\u201d and that children \u201cwill feel this uncertainty most\u201d. The Law Society pointed out<\/a> that the changes appear to conflict with the UK’s obligations under the 1951 Refugee Convention to facilitate the integration and naturalisation of refugees. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Right to work <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

There has been a change to permission to work rules for people seeking asylum. People who have\u202fbeen waiting for over a year for their asylum claim to be decided can request permission to work.\u202fPeople who applied for permission to work before 26 March 2026, if granted,\u202fcan work in any job on the\u202fAppendix Immigration Salary<\/a> list. For those who apply for permission on or after 26 March 2026, that work must be in a role on\u202fAppendix Skilled Occupations<\/a>\u202f\u2014 a different list \u2014\u202fbut only if its skill level is RQF 6 or higher\u202f(i.e. degree level roles).\u202fThis\u202fis a\u202ffurther restriction\u202fto the right to work for most people in the asylum system. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Detention of families <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The government wants to make it easier to remove families from the UK who do not have status.\u202fCurrently,\u202fdetentions\u202fand removals of families with children under 18 are unusual due to rules about detaining and using force on children. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What has changed already?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Nothing has changed yet. The government is consulting on these measures. Currently there is a family returns\u202fprocess<\/a>\u202fin place, but it is rarely used.\u202fThe government has announced a pilot to try to increase \u2018voluntary\u2019 returns by offering families up to \u00a310,000 per person to leave the UK. This is already underway. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Asylum\u202fand care leaver\u202fsupport <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The government is consulting on major changes to the asylum support system:\u202f\u201cAsylum handouts and accommodation removed for illegal migrants abusing Britain\u2019s generosity,\u201d the press release<\/a> stated on 5 March. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The home secretary\u202fcurrently\u202fhas\u202fa duty to provide support for people in the asylum system who would otherwise be destitute \u2014 the government plans to change this duty to a power.\u202fThey want to make it easier to remove support for families who do not have status in the UK. Many people are\u202fvery concerned\u202fthat this will mean adults, families and children living in destitution, with no access to support. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can access the statement of changes from here on GOV.UK<\/a>. The direct link to download the 48-page statement (HC 1691) is here<\/a>. The accompanying 22-page explanatory memorandum can be downloaded here<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A consultation on the proposals runs until Thursday 28 May. This covers two key areas:  <\/p>\n\n\n\n