London, Oct 2: British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has unveiled sweeping reforms to the United Kingdom’s asylum and settlement system, declaring that automatic permanent settlement for refugees will end under his government.
“If you want to come to the UK, you should contribute to our society,” Starmer said in a Home Office statement. “That is the tolerant and fair approach our communities are built on. But the current system is not fit for purpose.”
At present, asylum seekers who win their claims are granted five years’ leave to remain before applying for indefinite leave to remain — the route to citizenship. Under the new proposals, officials will review whether refugees should periodically re-prove their status, whether family reunion rights should be restricted, and whether settlement should be delayed or even denied in some cases.
“Settlement must be earned by contributing to our country, not by paying a people smuggler to cross the Channel in a boat,” Starmer said, adding that his reforms would ensure Britain remained open but not permissive.
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood echoed the tougher message, telling Sky News: “We will make it harder to settle in the UK. Settlement will depend on contribution, good character, English fluency and no benefit claims.”
Leaked government papers indicate ministers are weighing higher fees and the introduction of temporary protection status, a system modeled partly on Denmark and Australia. Officials note that such measures are intended to deter irregular arrivals and reduce incentives for channel crossings.
The changes come as more than 20,000 people have crossed the English Channel in small boats this year, including more than 200 in the past week alone. Political pressure has mounted as opposition parties and sections of the British press accuse Labour of being “soft” on migration.
Starmer rejected that view, insisting his government’s approach balanced compassion with firmness. “Britain’s future depends on openness, but openness has to be managed,” he said. The prime minister also pledged faster processing of asylum claims to cut delays in the system, while promising stronger enforcement against unlawful entry.
Britain remains one of the top three destinations for Indian migrants after the United States and Canada, making the reforms of particular interest in South Asia. Sikh and Tamil asylum seekers have traditionally sought safety in Britain, and immigration lawyers warn the new rules could limit their chances of permanent settlement or family reunification.
Indian students — now the largest overseas group in UK universities — are not directly targeted by the asylum reforms. But experts caution that graduates who later apply for asylum or attempt to bring relatives may face additional hurdles.
Community groups have voiced alarm about the potential fallout. A spokesperson for Southall Black Sisters said: “We fear genuine victims of persecution will be caught in the net of these changes. The government risks turning the right to asylum into a revolving door, offering only temporary safety.”
The debate comes at a time when Britain is reassessing its broader migration policies. A new India–UK free trade agreement under parliamentary review is expected to boost professional visas and business exchanges. At the same time, the Home Office faces pressure to curb net migration, which reached record highs last year.
Balancing those demands — encouraging skilled migration while tightening asylum pathways — has long proved politically difficult. For Starmer, ending what he described as the “golden ticket” is an early effort to show Labour can be firm on immigration while reshaping Britain’s approach.
For thousands across South Asia who continue to view Britain as a haven of opportunity and security, the coming months will reveal whether that perception endures — or whether the doors are beginning to close.
