News comment: UK announcement on asylum reforms

The following can be attributed to UNHCR’s Representative to the United Kingdom, Vicky Tennant.

UNHCR notes the 17 November announcement by the Home Secretary outlining proposed changes to the UK asylum system.

We share the Government’s concern regarding the dangerous journeys undertaken by refugees and migrants, the abuses perpetrated by smugglers and gangs, and the challenges that these movements present to governments. We also welcome the Government’s commitment to maintaining the UK’s strong tradition of providing sanctuary and safety to people fleeing conflict and persecution, while ensuring well-managed borders – both are compatible goals.

Refugees are not migrants. They are people fleeing conflict, instability and human rights abuses - circumstances no one would willingly choose. Fair, efficient asylum systems are essential to swiftly identify refugees and provide the protection they need. These should be coupled with well-managed migration pathways that alleviate pressure on asylum systems - often used by those seeking to move for economic reasons - with mechanisms that ensure the swift return of individuals who are found not to have valid claims. This dual approach is central to maintaining well-managed borders. We note the progress made in this regard and will continue to support these efforts.

We also encourage the UK to continue to work with European and other partners on cooperative arrangements to effectively manage irregular arrivals while sharing responsibility for refugees and upholding international protection. With the right safeguards in place, this may include lawful transfers of some asylum-seekers to other countries, including through mechanisms like the UK-France ‘one-in, one-out’ arrangement.

For those whose claims are assessed in the UK, and who are found to be refugees, safety means more than just a grant of asylum. UNHCR urges that they be given a stable status that allows them to rebuild their lives and reunite with their families, while a long-term, durable solution is sought. For some, this will be a return home when circumstances allow. But in view of the protracted nature of many of today’s conflicts, and the persistence of repressive regimes, for many, it entails the heart-breaking reality of building a future elsewhere.

Early investment in refugee integration is in everyone’s interest. UNHCR supports approaches that help refugees rebuild their lives in safety and contribute to their new communities, as so many are doing here in the UK. In contrast, short-term stay arrangements and stringent limitations on refugee family reunion often create prolonged uncertainty and despair, undermining integration and social cohesion. Such arrangements can be complex and costly to administer, and may ultimately not deter arrivals. Building understanding of why refugees flee and ensuring accurate, balanced narratives are equally vital for social cohesion.

UNHCR welcomes the Government’s commitment to safe, regular routes for refugees to be welcomed to the UK, drawing on the experience of the UK Resettlement Scheme and initiatives for Syrians, Ukrainians and Afghans. Such pathways provide a lifeline for refugees unable to live safely or realize their potential where they are, and are a means of sharing responsibility with countries hosting most of the world’s refugees. If accessible and realized at scale, they can provide managed alternatives to dangerous, irregular journeys. This work should be rooted in wider cooperation with European and other governments ‘upstream’ in large refugee-hosting and transit countries to help provide real alternatives to dangerous onward journeys and stabilize movements by strengthening rights, lawful stay and work opportunities.

In a time of unprecedented global displacement, empathy, efficiency, responsibility-sharing and international cooperation are essential to protect displaced people, with measures that work for both states and refugees. UNHCR stands ready to continue working closely with the UK Government, and all governments, to ensure a managed, shared approach to forced displacement that maintains access to asylum, upholds rights and promotes social cohesion.

ENDS

Contact: Maeve Patterson, [email protected], +44 7880 230985

Notes to editors:

1. UNHCR’s Great British Welcome series documents how communities across the UK have welcomed refugees and helped them rebuild their lives in safety, with contributions to their new communities.
2. UNHCR has recently issued new guidance on the return of people who have been found not to be in need of international protection (including through the use of ‘return hubs’), as well as on lawful transfer arrangements.
3. On the UK-France arrangement, please see here, July 2025
4. On family reunion, see ‘Refugee Family Reunion: Why It Matters’ September 2025
5. UNHCR encourages states to work together to share responsibility for receiving refugees, with strengthened cooperation between European and other partners ‘upstream’ and along key routes to protect refugees and stabilize movements. Further information on UNHCR’s Route-Based Approach is available here .
6. Seventy-one per cent of the world’s refugees live in low- and middle-income countries near their countries of origin. For further information on trends and data, please see UNHCR’s mid-year trends.