The United Kingdom unveiled a significant tightening of its asylum regulations on Sunday, signaling another major shift in the country’s approach to immigration as successive governments struggle to contain the number of people crossing the English Channel in small, often unsafe vessels.

Under the new framework introduced by Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood, individuals granted asylum will face a dramatically longer path to permanent residency. Instead of becoming eligible after five years, refugees will now need to wait 20 years before applying for long-term settlement.

The government also intends to conduct more frequent reviews of refugee protections. If officials determine that an asylum seeker’s country of origin is safe again, that individual may be required to return home. Additionally, asylum seekers will no longer automatically receive benefits such as housing support and weekly stipends. Those who are legally permitted to work in the UK will be expected to secure employment while their applications are processed—something currently prohibited under existing rules.

“Illegal migration is causing deep divisions in our country,” Mahmood told the BBC on Sunday. “We must take action if we want to maintain public support for having an asylum system at all.”

The Labour government’s plan mirrors elements of Denmark’s stringent model, which was designed by a center-left administration. Denmark issues residence permits for only one or two years at a time, without guaranteeing long-term settlement. To qualify for permanent residency, asylum seekers must find employment and learn the Danish language. Since tightening its laws, Denmark has seen a sharp decline in asylum approvals, reversing an earlier surge of arrivals from Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, and other regions devastated by conflict.

Although Denmark’s approach has been criticized by human rights organizations and challenged in the European Court of Human Rights, it has increasingly influenced other European governments facing growing public frustration over immigration. The UK Home Office acknowledged that it sent officials to Copenhagen last summer to study the Danish system firsthand.

Still, reactions in Britain have been mixed. Immigration has reemerged as a defining political issue in the years following Brexit, and the debate has only intensified since the Labour Party took power in 2024. The government says it has deported 50,000 people who entered the UK illegally since taking office.

Opposition parties have responded swiftly. The Conservative Party argues it would remove individuals with invalid asylum claims even faster than Labour proposes. The Liberal Democrats said they would closely examine the policy details, with party leader Ed Davey emphasizing the importance of expanding work rights for asylum seekers. Reform UK leader Nigel Farage, known for his hard-line stance on immigration, offered rare praise for Mahmood’s rhetoric but predicted that court challenges would weaken the policy’s effectiveness. He warned that decisions by British judges or the European Court of Human Rights could block deportations.

“Labour won’t stop the boats,” Farage wrote on social media on Friday as details of the proposal began to circulate.

For Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s government, the plan highlights how quickly political priorities have shifted. Starmer once framed Channel crossings primarily as a law-enforcement challenge, pledging to dismantle smuggling networks operating between France and the UK. Now, his administration says the asylum system itself fuels further arrivals by creating incentives for people seeking refuge.

Government data indicates that while asylum claims have dropped in many European countries since 2021, they have risen in Britain. Even so, the UK continues to receive fewer total applications than several of its European neighbors. In the 12 months ending March 2025, Britain recorded 109,343 asylum claims—far below Germany’s 218,550, Spain’s 164,830, France’s 159,260, and Italy’s 151,525.

Europe remains a major destination for people escaping war, political instability, and economic hardship, and Pakistanis currently make up the largest share of asylum seekers in Britain.

Critics argue that the government’s new proposal echoes the rhetoric of far-right groups. Labour MP Clive Lewis warned on the BBC that the plan could alienate progressive voters and push them toward the Green Party. However, Labour’s commanding majority in Parliament makes it likely that the measures will ultimately pass into law.

Mahmood, 45, who became home secretary during a cabinet reshuffle in September, has frequently spoken about how her family’s immigrant background influences her policy perspective. Born in Birmingham to parents of Pakistani origin, she studied law at Oxford University before becoming a barrister.

“Immigration has shaped my experience as a Brit and continues to shape the lives of thousands of my constituents,” she said during an appearance on the BBC’s “Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg.”

“This is a moral mission for me, because illegal migration is tearing our country apart and dividing communities.”