The UK Labour government has begun quietly studying Denmark’s much-publicised ‘temporary-protection-first’ asylum system as it prepares the next round of immigration legislation. According to briefings confirmed to the Economic Times, Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has sent senior Home Office officials to Copenhagen to examine how Denmark limits most refugees to short-term residency, imposes strict family-reunion rules and requires beneficiaries to reimburse some accommodation costs.
The fact-finding mission follows a week of unwelcome statistics: provisional net-migration for 2025 is tracking 12 % higher than a year ago, and small-boat arrivals resumed after a fortnight of bad weather. Ministers believe that copying elements of Denmark’s model—such as higher language requirements, tougher criminal-record checks and the ability to relocate claimants to remote accommodation—could help deliver Labour’s pledge to “control and compassionately reduce” migration without breaching international law.
![UK looks to Denmark’s asylum model as Labour seeks tougher migration controls]()
Businesses have greeted the news warily. Employers reliant on lower-skilled EU or care-sector workers fear that temporary status and repayment clauses could deter recruits just as salary thresholds and skills-charge increases bite. Multinationals running intra-company graduate schemes also worry that making protection status time-limited will put additional administrative pressure on HR mobility teams, who already face an expanded Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) regime in April 2025.
Legal experts note that Denmark’s approach is anchored in a negotiated opt-out from EU asylum rules; transplanting it wholesale may therefore require the UK to renegotiate parts of the Trade and Cooperation Agreement as well as the European Convention on Human Rights. Mahmood is understood to be commissioning advice on compatibility with the UK’s Human Rights Act and on whether a new suitability test—now replacing the long-criticised ‘grounds for refusal’—can support temporary protection decisions.
For global-mobility managers the message is clear: even though no formal policy has been published, Labour is signalling a decisive shift towards more conditional, Scandinavian-style migration controls. Companies should model scenarios in which sponsored employees may need to navigate stricter English-language testing, shorter post-study work windows and potential repayment obligations if they claim humanitarian leave to remain.
The fact-finding mission follows a week of unwelcome statistics: provisional net-migration for 2025 is tracking 12 % higher than a year ago, and small-boat arrivals resumed after a fortnight of bad weather. Ministers believe that copying elements of Denmark’s model—such as higher language requirements, tougher criminal-record checks and the ability to relocate claimants to remote accommodation—could help deliver Labour’s pledge to “control and compassionately reduce” migration without breaching international law.
Businesses have greeted the news warily. Employers reliant on lower-skilled EU or care-sector workers fear that temporary status and repayment clauses could deter recruits just as salary thresholds and skills-charge increases bite. Multinationals running intra-company graduate schemes also worry that making protection status time-limited will put additional administrative pressure on HR mobility teams, who already face an expanded Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) regime in April 2025.
Legal experts note that Denmark’s approach is anchored in a negotiated opt-out from EU asylum rules; transplanting it wholesale may therefore require the UK to renegotiate parts of the Trade and Cooperation Agreement as well as the European Convention on Human Rights. Mahmood is understood to be commissioning advice on compatibility with the UK’s Human Rights Act and on whether a new suitability test—now replacing the long-criticised ‘grounds for refusal’—can support temporary protection decisions.
For global-mobility managers the message is clear: even though no formal policy has been published, Labour is signalling a decisive shift towards more conditional, Scandinavian-style migration controls. Companies should model scenarios in which sponsored employees may need to navigate stricter English-language testing, shorter post-study work windows and potential repayment obligations if they claim humanitarian leave to remain.
