Our statement on the government’s planned changes to the asylum system
November 21, 2025
We are deeply concerned about the government’s announcement of planned reforms to the asylum system.
Its plans to make refugee status temporary, asking for a review of their status every 30 months, and needing 20 years in the country before they can reach permanent settlement, deny people seeking safety the stability they need to make a life in the UK. Keeping people in a long-term state of limbo feeds divisive narratives rather than seeing them as our neighbours, friends and colleagues. Security is the foundation that people need to become involved in their local communities, build relationships and take part in everyday life. If we want communities to feel connected and confident, the stories we tell and the policies we push need to bring people in, not push them further to the margins.
The Justice Together Initiative exists to ensure that people who use the UK immigration system can access justice fairly and equally. We are concerned that proposals to review status every 30 months will also increase the likelihood of casework backlogs, and challenge an already overstretched system. The government’s statement mentions that early legal advice will be a core part of their reforms to the appeals system. But it needs urgent clarification to ensure that early legal advice is present at the application stage too.
As the recently published report ‘No Access to Justice 2: Mapping the UK’s continuing immigration and asylum legal advice crisis’ by Dr Jo Wilding shows, access to quality immigration legal advice across the UK remains a significant challenge. The Home Office must ensure early access to legal advice to prevent unnecessary refusals later on, which result in distress, delays and higher costs. Extending refugee settlement routes to 20 years, and requiring frequent reviews during this time period, will only increase pressures on the system. Offering shorter, clearer paths to permanent settlement would reduce legal advice and casework needs, alongside enabling people to fully participate in society.