UK must restart asylum resettlement scheme insists Home Secretary amid need to fulfil ‘obligations’
The government will begin resettling refugees in the UK, as the Home Secretary declared that the UK must live up to its “international obligations”.
The government will begin resettling refugees in the UK, as the Home Secretary declared that the UK must live up to its “international obligations”.
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Shabana Mahmood announced the reopening of a scheme to resettle refugees in the country on Monday.
She said the UK can “unlock the inherent generosity of this country” by providing safe and legal refugee routes.
She told the Labour Party conference in Liverpool that her migration reforms will “come to a position that balances fairness”.
The UK resettlement scheme will reopen immediately.
Approximately a quarter of refugees accepted are expected to be Palestinians and women and girls from Afghanistan.
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Hundreds of refugees are expected to arrive in the UK under the scheme and three community sponsorship routes at first.
This figure is expected to rise to the “low thousands” as levels of illegal migration fall, and with a cap set each year.
Those resettled will be placed on a five-year path to permanent settlement.
The majority of refugees admitted under the UK resettlement scheme will be referred through the UN refugee agency UNHCR, and Palestinians will be admitted through the International Refugee Assistance Project (Irap).
The Home Secretary said: “I know the British people have not given up on their belief that we should be compassionate, live up to our international obligations, and save the lives of those fleeing war and persecution.
She added: “This is what we can do – this is who we can be – as we restore control to our borders, bear down on small boat crossings, and unlock the inherent generosity of this country.”
The Home Secretary said her migrant background had made her committed to fairness.
“My parents came to this country from rural Kashmir,” she said.
“Because they knew they would get a fair shot at a better life here, a fairer shot than they could ever expect back home, where past was precedent, and your birth dictated your future.
“They were, largely, welcomed to this country, because most Brits thought it was right to welcome people who come here legally, build a life, and contribute to our nation.”
But Ms Mahmood said limits are needed on the number of refugees.
She said: “I also know this process must be capped and controlled, and communities must be ready and able to welcome those who come here.
“This is what we can do and who we can be as we restore control to our borders, bear down on the small boat crossings, and unlock the inherent generosity of this country.”
Under other routes the Government has already committed to opening, the first arrivals of refugees sponsored by communities and students sponsored by universities are expected to arrive in autumn 2027.
And applications for an employer-sponsored refugee route will open in spring 2027, with the first arrivals expected to follow later in the year.
Reform UK home affairs spokesperson Zia Yusuf said: “Shabana Mahmood’s plans will mean more migrants and more Afghan criminals arriving in our country. It’s a complete disgrace.
“The British public has been sold out so Burnham can keep (Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government) Angela Rayner happy.
“Anyone thinking about arriving under these schemes should think twice. Under a Reform government, all these people will have their right to stay revoked immediately and be deported.”