Higher fees and temporary protection, UK asylum seekers face new hurdles

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has announced sweeping reforms to the country’s asylum and settlement system, declaring an end to what he calls the “golden ticket” for migrants who win refugee status.

The Labour leader insists his government will protect genuine refugees, but only on tougher terms. “If you want to come to the UK, you should contribute to our society,” he said in a statement released by the Home Office. “That is the tolerant and fair approach our communities are built on. But the current system is not fit for purpose.”

He added that settlement should not be automatic: “Settlement must be earned by contributing to our country, not by paying a people smuggler to cross the Channel in a boat.”

At present, successful asylum applicants are granted five years’ leave to remain and can then apply for indefinite leave to remain — the route to citizenship. Under the new reforms, that pathway will be tightened. Officials are reviewing how often refugees should have to re-prove their status and whether family reunion rights should be limited.

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood reinforced the tougher line. “We will make it harder to settle in the UK,” she told Sky News. “Settlement will depend on contribution, good character, English fluency and no benefit claims.”

Leaked documents suggest ministers are considering higher fees and temporary protection in some cases, echoing models used in Denmark and Australia.

The reforms come against a politically fraught backdrop. More than 20,000 people have crossed the English Channel in small boats so far this year, including more than 200 in the past week alone. Opposition parties and sections of the British press have accused Labour of being “soft” on migration.

Starmer countered that his approach is both firm and fair. “Britain’s future depends on openness, but openness has to be managed,” he said. He has promised faster processing of claims to reduce backlogs, while also pledging to crack down on “irregular arrivals.”

Britain remains among the top three destinations for Indian migrants after the US and Canada, making the reforms of particular interest across South Asia. Sikh and Tamil asylum seekers have long looked to Britain as a refuge from persecution. Lawyers now warn that those applying for asylum in future may find it harder to gain permanent settlement or to bring family members with them.

Indian students — now the largest single overseas group in UK universities — are not directly affected by asylum reforms. But some graduates who later switch status, or who seek to reunite with relatives, may face new hurdles.

Community groups have expressed concern. 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 as Britain reassesses its entire migration model. A new India–UK free trade agreement, currently under parliamentary review, is expected to boost business visas and professional exchanges. At the same time, the Home Office is under pressure to cut net migration, which hit record levels last year.

Balancing those competing priorities — skilled migration versus tighter asylum — is a dilemma no government has yet solved. For Starmer, the promise to scrap the “golden ticket” is an early attempt to show Labour will not be outflanked on immigration by the Conservatives.

For thousands of South Asians who continue to see Britain as a haven of opportunity and security, the coming months will reveal whether those doors are narrowing.