(MENAFN) Asylum seekers arriving in the UK could have high-value assets confiscated to help cover the cost of benefits, a Home Office minister said, as the government prepares a wider immigration overhaul.

Minister of State for Border Security and Asylum Alex Norris told British media on Monday that vehicles and other assets could be taken. “It is right if those people have money in the bank, people have assets like cars, like e-bikes, they should be contributing... Those are assets they should contribute to the cost of benefits.” The Sun reported that jewelry and watches may also be seized to offset housing costs.

Norris stressed that sentimental items would be exempt. “If someone comes over with a bag full of gold rings, well, that’s different to what I said about the heirloom,” he added, urging the public to await Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood’s full statement.

The proposal has been compared to Denmark’s strict asylum model, where authorities may confiscate assets above a set threshold, and Switzerland’s similar system allowing seizure of valuables above roughly €900 ($981) to fund asylum support.

Mahmood’s planned immigration reforms aim to speed up asylum decisions, expand detention capacity, and reduce state spending on irregular arrivals. The UK is facing a migration crisis, with around 111,000 asylum applications filed in the first half of this year—nearly double the number in 2021.

Support for the anti-immigration Reform party, led by MP Nigel Farage, has risen to 35%, while Labour and the Conservatives lag at 20% and 17%, according to a recent poll.

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