(MENAFN) UK Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood announced on Sunday that the government will introduce a new asylum policy requiring refugees to wait 20 years before being eligible for permanent settlement. Currently, asylum recipients in the UK can effectively settle after five years, which Mahmood described as “particularly generous compared to other countries in Europe.”

Under the proposed system, refugee status will become temporary and reviewed every two and a half years, allowing for removals if a person’s home country is deemed safe. Mahmood said the changes are modeled on Denmark’s strict immigration system and aim to reduce illegal migration, ease pressures on communities, and simplify deportations.

The Home Secretary emphasized that the reforms will also include new safe routes to support people fleeing war and conflict, framing the measures as the “most sweeping set of reforms in modern times” to tackle illegal migration while maintaining humanitarian obligations.

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