Five years ago, Shabana Mahmood called for a “general amnesty” for undocumented migrants. The standard qualifying period for migrant workers to gain secure residence will double to 10 years, which will be twice the length set out in almost all EU countries. The standard wait for refugees who claim asylum in Britain outside designated resettlement routes will be 20 years, four times the usual five-year qualifying period in Germany, Spain and Italy.
But even this is misleading. As the Home Office notes: “There are no visa routes to enable people to claim asylum in the UK from overseas.” As it further adds: “A person must be present in the UK to claim asylum here.” So accessing this punitive process by regular means is in essence impossible. Mahmood has reopened an exceptionally limited resettlement scheme, with Afghan women and girls and Palestinians expected to account for about a quarter of referrals.
The latter is a shamelessly cynical sop to progressive voters infuriated by Labour’s complicity in Israel’s genocide. And previously exceptions have been made for travel to Britain for humanitarian reasons: from Ukraine, Hong Kong and Afghanistan. But if you’re seeking to flee persecution in, say, Iran, Eritrea or Somalia, you cannot legally apply for asylum.
Arriving by small boat is your only shot. For those who do and have their asylum claims accepted, a wait of up to 30 years for permanent residency beckons. Eleven years ago, Mahmood spent three days at a refugee camp in Greece and wrote about her experiences in the New Statesman.
We must do our part to help them.” Bear in mind that Britain receives fewer asylum applications per capita than the EU average. Bear in mind, too, that nearly seven in 10 of the world’s refugee population are hosted by low- and middle-income nations. Remember also the role of Britain in violence that has caused destabilisation and accelerated population movements – such as the wars in Iraq and Libya, the latter of which Mahmood voted for.
Yes, there has been a partial retreat on social care workers, with those who entered the route before May 2025 and meet the relevant conditions able to apply for indefinite leave to remain after five years. But consider how the social care sector has already been plunged into crisis by Britain’s “cut off its nose to spite its face” immigration policies. New international recruits plunged from 105,000 to 30,000 in the space of two years – while the sector has nearly 100,000 vacancies.
Extract — continue reading at the source.
