Home Secretary unveils major overhaul of asylum system as LGBTQ+ charity warns changes are “cruel” and risk returning people to danger

The government has announced sweeping reforms to the UK’s asylum system, replacing the long‑standing five‑year period of refugee protection with a new temporary status that will be reviewed every 30 months.

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood confirmed that, from 2 March 2026, all adults and accompanied children granted asylum will now receive 30 months of protection before facing reassessment - a shift intended to align the UK more closely with the Danish model. 

Under the new rules, refugees will be required to demonstrate an ongoing need for protection at each review point. If the Home Office concludes that an individual’s country of origin is now considered safe, their protection may be withdrawn and they may be expected to return. Previously, recognised refugees typically received five years’ leave to remain, followed by a route to indefinite leave to remain.

The policy marks one of the most significant asylum reforms in decades, with ministers insisting the shift is necessary to “restore order” to the system and reduce what they argue are “pull factors” encouraging irregular migration. The Home Secretary has said the UK will continue to offer sanctuary to those genuinely fleeing persecution, while insisting that only a temporary model of protection can prevent abuse of the system. 

But migrant and LGBTQ+ rights groups have condemned the move, warning that continually reassessing protection risks trapping refugees in years — or even decades - of uncertainty.

Rainbow Migration, which supports LGBTQI+ people seeking safety in the UK, said the reforms will leave already‑vulnerable people living under the renewed threat of removal. Minesh Parekh, the charity’s Policy and Public Affairs Manager, told Scene Magazine: “The asylum changes the Home Secretary brought in today are cruel, unjust, and will only make it harder for people to put down roots and rebuild their lives in safety. Determining whether a country is ‘safe’ is extremely complex and blanket designations too often fail to reflect the realities individuals face.

"Living with the constant threat of being sent back to danger is horribly inhumane. Constantly reviewing someone’s right to stay, making them live with uncertainty for decades, will undoubtedly affect their ability to develop lasting work, housing or family ties.

"We support LGBTQ+ people like Sam, a trans man from the Middle East who had to escape his home country because he was threatened with violence if he didn’t reverse his transition. Or Jalal, a gay man from Pakistan whose family, when they found out about his sexuality, told him that ‘if you come back, we will kill you’.

"Imagine finally being granted refugee status after fleeing these horrors, only to be told that your status will be reviewed in 2.5 years and you could be sent back to danger.

"We urge this government to stop their anti-migrant agenda, which is fuelling hostility and hate towards people seeking safety, and instead tackle real issues the UK is facing, like inequality, unaffordable housing and rising poverty.”

Legal specialists have also raised concerns, noting that the new system fundamentally shifts refugee status from a route to settlement to a precarious form of short‑term protection. Immigration lawyers warn that the continual reassessment model could create a large backlog of periodic reviews and increase long‑term instability for people who have already survived significant trauma.

For people already granted refugee status under the previous system, the government has confirmed that their existing five‑year leave will remain valid, and transitional provisions mean earlier claimants will continue under the old rules. Unaccompanied children will also still receive five years’ leave if successful in their claim.