UK Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood announced new steps to tighten asylum rules. Changes include increasing the residency period for refugees to 20 years to obtain permanent status and reviewing the application of articles of the European Convention on Human Rights.
On Monday, November 17, UK Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood announced new steps to tighten asylum rules aimed at curbing illegal migration. This was reported by Reuters, according to UNN.It is noted that in this way the country's government wants to reduce abuse and make the system more controlled.
Mahmood emphasized that the country will continue to accept those who are truly fleeing danger, but the current rules are too easy to circumvent. According to her, some people openly manipulate the topic of migration. The asylum system is vulnerable to abuse, and dark forces take advantage of this - said Mahmood.
Among the changes proposed by the government is an increase from 5 to 20 years in the period that refugees must live in the country before being eligible to apply for permanent status.
In addition, London threatened to suspend visa issuance to citizens of Angola, Namibia, and the Democratic Republic of Congo if these states do not agree to take back illegal migrants and persons who have committed crimes.
Separately, the head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs announced plans to change the interpretation of Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights, which concerns the right to family life and is often used as a basis for legalizing family members of migrants.
She also noted that the UK will work with partners who share its position to review the mechanism for applying Article 3 of the ECHR - the norm prohibiting torture - to prevent its abuse in cases of "inhuman or degrading treatment."
It was previously reported that the British government planned large-scale changes to the country's migration policy, with the aim of reducing the number of boat crossings and asylum applications. Even those who have already been granted asylum will only be allowed to stay in the UK temporarily.
UK Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood stated that Ukrainian refugees in the United Kingdom will return home after the end of the war with Russia. The asylum program for Ukrainian refugees was always intended as a temporary scheme. UNN
