Britain’s Labour Government Plans New, Tougher System for Asylum Seekers

Europe|Britain’s Labour Government Plans New, Tougher System for Asylum Seekers

Britain rolled out a major hardening of its rules for handling asylum seekers on Sunday, reflecting the rapidly changing politics of immigration as successive British governments have failed to curb a rising influx of migrants crossing the English Channel in often unseaworthy boats.

Under the new rules, drafted by the home secretary, Shabana Mahmood, people granted asylum would have to wait 20 years, rather than the current five, before they can apply to settle permanently in Britain.

The government plans to review the status of refugees more regularly, and if it determines their countries have become safe, they will be ordered to return home. Asylum seekers will also no longer be entitled to automatic aid, including housing and weekly allowances. Those who have a right to work in Britain will be expected to find jobs while their claims are being considered, something they are not allowed to do under the existing rules.

“Illegal migration is causing huge divides here in our own country,” Ms. Mahmood said in an interview Sunday with the BBC. “I do believe we need to act if we are to retain public consent for having an asylum system at all.”

The Labour government’s proposed changes emulate a much tougher asylum policy put in place by Denmark. The Danish system, devised like that in Britain by a center-left government, grants asylum seekers residence permits of only one or two years, with no guarantee of permanent residence. To gain permanent status, new arrivals must learn Danish and find work.

Since the rules were tightened, the number of people granted asylum in Denmark has plummeted, ending an influx of migrants, mainly from Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan and other once war-torn countries.