Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood confirmed on Saturday, 15 November 2025 that the Government will legislate to end automatic settlement (indefinite leave to remain) for most recognised refugees. Under the forthcoming Immigration Bill, successful asylum-seekers would receive an initial “temporary protection” valid for 30 months, renewable following a fresh risk assessment. Only people who can show a continuing, individual risk of persecution in their country of origin would become eligible for settlement after ten years.
Ministers say the change is modeled on Denmark’s 2021 reforms and is designed to curb record-high claims (111,000 in the year to June 2025) while creating leverage to return those whose home countries later become “safe.” Mahmood also wants courts to place less weight on Article 8 (right to family life) and parts of Article 3 (inhuman treatment) of the European Convention on Human Rights when deciding appeals against removal.
![UK to replace permanent refugee status with time-limited protection]()
Business groups and universities are watching closely: although the rules target refugees, employers fear knock-on effects on labour-market confidence and local integration budgets. NGOs warn that forcing thousands of people to re-apply every three years will create a new backlog, increase compliance costs for the Home Office and deter employers from investing in refugee talent programmes.
Immigration lawyers note that the UK already reviews humanitarian status after five years; compressing that cycle to 30 months will triple the case-work volume. Housing providers are also concerned: temporary status makes it harder for refugees to secure long-term leases or mortgages, complicating corporate relocation packages for global staff with refugee family members.
If enacted, the policy would mark the biggest retreat from the UK’s post-war asylum model since the 1951 Refugee Convention was incorporated into domestic law.
Ministers say the change is modeled on Denmark’s 2021 reforms and is designed to curb record-high claims (111,000 in the year to June 2025) while creating leverage to return those whose home countries later become “safe.” Mahmood also wants courts to place less weight on Article 8 (right to family life) and parts of Article 3 (inhuman treatment) of the European Convention on Human Rights when deciding appeals against removal.
Business groups and universities are watching closely: although the rules target refugees, employers fear knock-on effects on labour-market confidence and local integration budgets. NGOs warn that forcing thousands of people to re-apply every three years will create a new backlog, increase compliance costs for the Home Office and deter employers from investing in refugee talent programmes.
Immigration lawyers note that the UK already reviews humanitarian status after five years; compressing that cycle to 30 months will triple the case-work volume. Housing providers are also concerned: temporary status makes it harder for refugees to secure long-term leases or mortgages, complicating corporate relocation packages for global staff with refugee family members.
If enacted, the policy would mark the biggest retreat from the UK’s post-war asylum model since the 1951 Refugee Convention was incorporated into domestic law.
