Asylum News
UK Parliament Written Statement on Migration Reforms (05 March 2026)
The Home Secretary has announced the Statement of Changes in Immigration Rules. Please see here for further detail.
GOV.UK – ‘Higher standard of English now required to settle in the UK’ (05 March 2026)
Under landmark reforms set to be introduced, Migrants will need to speak English to a higher standard if they wish to stay permanently in the UK. Please see here for further detail.
The Guardian – ‘Asylum seekers waiting over a year for claim in UK may be allowed to work under new measures’ (04 March 2026)
This article reports that up to 21,000 asylum seekers who have waited for a year for their claims to be processed could be allowed to enter the jobs market so they can support themselves, the Home Office has said, as part of a package of measures to be announced on Thursday. Please see here for further detail.
UK Parliament Written Statement on Asylum changes (02 March 2026)
Following the Home Secretary’s announcements, the written Ministerial statement has been published. Please see here for further detail.
BBC News – ‘Major changes to asylum system set to come into force’ (01 March 2026)
This article reports that from Monday any asylum seeker successfully given refugee status in the UK will be offered only temporary protection. Please see here for further detail.
BBC News – ‘Track UK’s latest migration numbers – including asylum, visas and small boats’ (updated 10 February 2026)
This article provides information about the latest key migration figures, including overall immigration, small boat arrivals and visas granted. Please see here for further detail.
BBC News – ‘Asylum seeker barracks plans could face further delays’ (06 February 2026)
This article reports that planning rules could further delay Home Office moves to house about 300 asylum seekers at a military base in Scotland. Please see here for further detail.
BBC News – ‘Ban on asylum seekers using taxis for medical appointments comes into force’ (04 February 2026)
This article reports on a ban on asylum seekers using taxis to attend medical appointments that has come into force. Please see here for further detail.
The Independent – ‘More asylum hotels to close this year as Labour aim to curb immigration’ (09 January 2026)
The Home Office plans to speed up the closure of migrant hotels this spring by moving asylum seekers into alternative accommodation such as army barracks, pop‑up sites and houses in multiple occupation. The strategy also includes increasing removals, reducing housing and financial support for some asylum seekers, and expanding returns agreements, while Labour has pledged to end all hotel use by 2029. Please see here for further detail.
National Audit Office (NAO) – ‘An analysis of the asylum system’ Report (10 December 2025)
The report explains that although asylum seekers make up a small share of overall migration, rising claim numbers and long processing delays have pushed the cost of the asylum system to £4 billion in 2024–25. It highlights that these delays harm vulnerable people, strain communities and local housing, and stresses the need for all parts of the asylum system to work together effectively, as previously recommended in 2023. Please see here to access the report and further information.
The Independent – ‘Government tightens rules on asylum seekers using taxis’ (29 November 2025)
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has announced that asylum seekers will no longer be allowed to use taxis for most medical journeys, limiting them to exceptional, evidence‑based cases requiring Home Office approval. The policy, introduced after a BBC investigation into widespread taxi use, aims to cut costs by shifting to public transport and forms part of wider reforms to the asylum system. Please see here for more detail.
BBC News – ‘UK net migration drops sharply to 204,000 in year to June – down 80% from its peak in 2023’ (27 November 2025)
Net migration to the UK fell sharply to 204,000 in the year to June, mainly due to fewer non‑EU nationals coming to work and study alongside rising emigration. The figures also show increased departures of EU and British nationals, while separate Home Office data reports 110,000 asylum claims in the year to September 2025. Please see here for more detail.
Earned Settlement – Home Office Open Consultation (closes 11:59pm on 12 February 2026)
The government is consulting on how the current settlement system should be reformed and how those reforms should be implemented. Further detail on the consultation is available here.
The 2025 UK Immigration White Paper, Restoring Control over the Immigration System, introduced significant reforms to how migrants can settle in the UK. Settlement will no longer be granted automatically after a fixed period. Instead, migrants will need to earn it by demonstrating ‘sustained good conduct, contribution and integration’.