Refugees for UK go wait for 20 years to settle permanently under asylum reforms

Pipo wey dem grant asylum for UK go wait for 20 years bifor dem fit apply to settle permanently under plans wey Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood go announce on Monday 17 November.

Di major shake-up to asylum policy dey come as di govment dey seek to reduce small boat crossings and asylum claims.

Under di plans, pipo wey dem grant asylum go only dey allowed to stay for di UK temporarily, and dem go review dia refugee status regularly and dem go ask pipo wey dia kontri safe to return home.

Currently, di refugee status dey last for five years, and pipo fit apply for indefinite leave to remain.

Now di home secretary wan cut di initial period from five years to two-and-a-half years, afta dat, refugee status go dey permanently reviewed.

But she plan to significantly lengthen di time wey e go take to gain permanent residence for UK from five years to 20 year.

Mahmood tell di Sunday Times say di reforms bin dey "designed to essentially tell pipo: no come to dis kontri as illegal migrant, make you no get on a boat".

She continue: "Illegal migration dey tear our kontri apart", and she add say na di govment job to "unite our kontri".

"If we no sort dis out, I tink our kontri go become much more divided," she tell di newspaper.

Dem copy di policy from Denmark, wia one govment wey di centre-left Social Democrats bin lead preside ova one of di toughest asylum and immigration systems for Europe.

For Denmark, dem dey give refugees temporary residence permits, typically of two years, and dem gatz re-apply for asylum wen di residence permits expire.

And Mahmood new approach go certainly face opposition from some Labour MPs.

Liberal Democrat home affairs tok-tok pesin Max Wilkinson say e dey "right say di govment look at new ways to fix di disorderly asylum system wey di Conservatives bin create".

E add say make Labour "no kid diasef say dis measures na alternative to processing claims quickly so we fit remove dose wey no get right to dey here".

Enver Solomon, chief executive at di Refugee Council, say rather dan discourage migrants, di 20 years limit go "leave pipo in limbo and in tense anxiety for many, many years".

"We need system wey dey controlled and wey dey fair, and di way you go do am, you make decisions fairly, in a timely fashion, and if dem find pesin as refugee, dem go on and contribute to our communities and dem pay back," e tell Breakfast on Sunday.

A total of 109,343 pipo bin claim asylum for di UK in di 12 months to March dis year, a 17 percent increase compared to di year bifor, according to govment data.

Mr Solomon say concern about di increasing number of asylum claims na becos pipo feel say "di govment don forgot about dia communities".

According to di latest Home Office figures, 1,069 migrants bin arrive for di UK in di last seven days.

More dan 39,000 pipo don arrive for UK by small boats for 2025. Di number of arrivals dis year dey higher dan di whole of 2024 (36,816) and 2023 (29,437), but below di total at dis point for 2022 (39,929).