Starmer ends ‘golden ticket’ for asylum seekers in the UK
Migrants granted asylum in the UK will no longer be automatically given settlement and family reunion rights, under landmark policy changes outlined by Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Thursday (2 October).
The incoming asylum policy reform will end automatic family reunion rights and alter the requirements for long-term settlement in the UK.
The Prime Minister is announcing the reforms ahead of his attendance at the European Political Community Summit in Copenhagen, where he will co-chair a roundtable with leaders on innovative approaches to tackling illegal migration.
Government will also aim at addressing the pull factors driving high levels of illegal migration to the UK. This follows the first small boat migrant returns to France under the UK-France Treaty and the government unveiling plans to crack down on illegal working through digital ID.
Genuine refugees will not be returned to their home country – and will be entitled to a package of core protection should they receive a positive decision – but they will face a new, longer route to settlement requiring them to contribute, replacing the current five years, and they will not have the automatic right to family reunion.
Full detail of the reforms will be set out in an Asylum Policy Statement set to be unveiled later in the Autumn.
“I believe that if you want to come to the UK, you should contribute to our society. That is the tolerant and fair approach to migration that our communities are built on, but the current system is not fit for purpose,” said Starmer.
That is why we’re making fundamental changes to what those granted asylum are afforded in the UK. Settlement must be earned by contributing to our country, not by paying a people smuggler to cross the channel in a boat.
The UK will continue to play its role in welcoming genuine refugees fleeing persecution. But we must also address the pull factors driving dangerous and illegal small boat crossings. There will be no golden ticket to settling in the UK, people will have to earn it.
