LONDON, Nov 15 (Reuters) – Britain said it would make refugee status temporary and the wait for permanent settlement would be quadrupled to 20 years under the country’s most sweeping overhaul of policy on asylum seekers in modern times.

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The government said it would take inspiration from Denmark’s approach, one of the toughest in Europe – where growing anti-immigrant sentiment has led to increased restrictions in many countries – and widely criticised by rights groups.

TEMPORARY STATUS SUBJECT TO REVIEW

As part of the changes, the statutory duty to provide support to certain asylum seekers, including housing and weekly allowances, will be revoked, the Home Office (interior ministry) said in a statement issued late on Saturday.

The department, led by Shabana Mahmood, said the measures would apply to asylum seekers who can work but choose not to, and to those who break the law. It said that taxpayer-funded support would be prioritised for those contributing to the economy and local communities.

The Home Office also said that protection for refugees would “now be temporary, regularly reviewed and revoked” if the home country was deemed safe.

“Our system is particularly generous compared to other countries in Europe, where, after five years, you’re effectively automatically settled in this country. We will change that,” Mahmood told Sky News on Sunday.

She added that under the changes, a refugee’s status would be reviewed every two-and-a-half years, during “a much longer path to permanent settlement in this country of 20 years”.

Mahmood said she would provide further details of the changes on Monday, including an announcement on Article 8 of the European Convention of Human Rights.

The government has said it wants to stay in the ECHR but change how the Article 8 provision, covering the right to a family life, is interpreted.

Mahmood said it was being “applied in a way that is designed to frustrate the removal of those that, under our immigration rules, would not have the right to be in this country.”

The government’s tougher approach has drawn criticism. More than 100 British charities wrote to Mahmood urging her to “end the scapegoating of migrants and performative policies that only cause harm”, saying such steps are fuelling racism and violence.

A total of 109,343 people claimed asylum in the UK in the year ending March 2025, a 17% rise on the previous year and 6% above the 2002 peak of 103,081.

Mahmood said the government would look to open more “safe and legal” routes for asylum seekers, as she believed Britain should play its part in helping those fleeing danger.

UK GOVERNMENT INSPIRED BY DENMARK, OTHER EUROPEAN COUNTRIES

The Home Office said its reforms would look to “match and in some areas exceed” the standards of Denmark and other European countries, where refugee status is temporary, support is conditional and integration in society is expected.

The Home Office said Denmark’s more restrictive immigration policies had reduced asylum claims to a 40-year low and resulted in the deportation of 95% of rejected applicants.

Denmark’s reforms, implemented while it remains a signatory to the ECHR, have drawn sharp criticism. Rights groups say the measures foster a hostile climate for migrants, undermine protection and leave asylum seekers in prolonged limbo.

Britain’s Refugee Council said on X that refugees do not compare asylum systems while fleeing danger, and that they come to the UK because of family ties, some knowledge of English, or existing connections that help them start anew safely.

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Drastic changes are coming to Great Britain’s asylum policy, including longer wait times for permanent residency and a forced return to the person’s home country once it is deemed safe.

The shift represents the largest overhaul of policy on asylum seekers in modern times. It was inspired by Denmark, which has one of the toughest policies in Europe and has been widely scrutinized by rights groups.

Britain’s Labor government has been toughening its stance on immigration, as it seeks to address the surging popularity of the populist Reform U.K. party, which has taken a strict approach to immigration.

The new changes include revoking the statutory duty to provide housing and financial support to certain asylum seekers, the Home Office said in a statement.

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It also said refugees would have to wait 20 years to apply for permanent residency instead of the current five years, the period of initial refugee status would be cut from five years to two and a half, rules around family reunions would be stricter, and refugees would be encouraged or forced to return to their home country once it is considered safe.

The department said the measures would apply to asylum seekers who can work but choose not to, as well as those who break the law. Taxpayer-funded support would be prioritized for people contributing to the economy and local communities.

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The Home Office said the changes aim to make the U.K. less attractive to illegal migrants and make it easier to remove people whose claims are denied.

“This country has a proud tradition of welcoming those fleeing danger, but our generosity is drawing illegal migrants across the Channel,” Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said. “The pace and scale of migration is placing immense pressure on communities.”

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More than 100 British charities called on Mahmood to “end the scapegoating of migrants and performative policies that only cause harm,” arguing that the measures are fueling racism and violence.

Britain’s Refugee Council said on X that refugees do not compare asylum systems when attempting to flee danger. It said they aim for the U.K. because of family ties, some knowledge of English or connections that can help them start over safely.

Reuters contributed to this report.

Tens of thousands of people have thronged the streets of an Amazonian city hosting the COP30 talks, dancing to pounding speakers in the first large-scale protest at a United Nations climate summit in years.

As the first week of climate negotiations limped to a close with nations deadlocked, Indigenous people and activists sang, chanted, and rolled a giant beach ball of Earth through Belem under a searing sun.

Others held a mock funeral procession for fossil fuels, dressed in black and posing as grieving widows as they carried three coffins marked with the words “coal”, “oil” and “gas”.

It was the first major protest outside the annual climate talks since COP26 four years ago in Glasgow, as the last three gatherings had been held in locations with little tolerance for demonstrations – Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, and Azerbaijan.

Called the “Great People’s March” by the organisers, the Belem rally came at the halfway point of difficult negotiations and followed two Indigenous-led protests that disrupted proceedings earlier in the week.

“Today we are witnessing a massacre as our forest is being destroyed,” said Benedito Huni Kuin, a 50-year-old member of the Huni Kuin Indigenous group from western Brazil.

“We want to make our voices heard from the Amazon and demand results,” he added. “We need more Indigenous representatives at COP to defend our rights.”

Their demands include “reparations” for damages caused by corporations and governments, particularly to marginalised communities.

After a 4.5km (2.8-mile) march through the city, the demonstration halted a few blocks from the COP30 venue, where authorities deployed soldiers to protect the site.

Inside the venue, COP30 President Andre Correa do Lago admitted that the first exhaustive week of negotiations had failed to yield a breakthrough and urged diplomats not to run down the clock with time-wasting manoeuvres.

Countries remained at odds over trade measures and weak climate targets, while a showdown looms over demands that wealthy nations triple the finance they provide to poorer states to adapt to a warming world.