2nd April 2026
People in the asylum and immigration system, and the organisations supporting them, have been faced with a barrage of policy and legal changes in recent weeks. It can be hard to keep track of what’s happened, to advise the people we’re working with, and to know where to direct our limited resources. This information sheet is a summary of changes that have been made recently and changes that are still to come. It also includes actions we can take together to push for positive changes.
Earned settlement
This information sheet goes into detail on the government’s stated plans for so-called “earned settlement”. These are the plans to extend routes to settlement (Indefinite Leave to Remain) to a default 10 years, with 15, 20 and 30 year routes for some, and to introduce new mandatory requirements for settlement. These measures are mainly aimed at people on migration routes, but how they might interact with refugee status is not yet clear. The government has said they want these changes to be retrospective – to apply to people already here who do not yet have settlement.
What has changed already?
Of the earned settlement reforms, only the English language requirements for settlement applications has been confirmed in the Immigration Rules, and the change has not yet come into force. For applications for settlement lodged on or after 26th March 2027, the English language proficiency required will be B2. Other immigration rule changes may come later this year.
But we know that the threat of these reforms is already having a very real impact. In particular we have heard that people are avoiding accessing benefits they really need due to fear this will extend their routes to settlement.
What can we do?
This is an important moment to speak out about earned settlement. The government is under a lot of pressure to scrap their plans, particularly the retrospective application, and a number of MPs have spoken out. We can keep the pressure on and make sure MPs know that their constituents will not accept these attacks on settlement.
You can write to your MP today. You are welcome to use this template and if you have more to say, please add in your personal perspective on how earned settlement will impact you and the people you work with.
If you have evidence you would like to share about how these policies will impact people or are already impacting people, there is a call for evidence from the All-Party Parliamentary Groups on Migration and Poverty you can answer here. It is open until 13th May 2026.
Refugee status
The Home Secretary has made major changes to how refugee status works in the UK, moving to make it far less secure. People who claim asylum on or after 2nd March 2026, or make a fresh claim on or after that date, will be granted 2.5 years of “core protection” status. At the end of that period they will need to reapply. Their situation will be reviewed each time to decide whether protection is still needed, and refugee status could be revoked if their home country is judged to be “safe.” Their status will need to be renewed 8 times up to 20 years before people can apply for settlement. This new system does not apply to unaccompanied children, even if they turn 18 before receiving an asylum decision.
What has changed already?
This change has now been made and placed in the immigration rules. Please note that it does not apply for people who already have refugee status, people who claimed asylum before the 2nd March 2026, or to unaccompanied children.
We do not yet have any information about what the process for renewing “core protection” status will look like. The only change that has been made is that 2.5 years’ status will be given instead of 5 years.
What can we do?
We can still speak out about this change. You can ask your MP to sign this motion, calling for the change to be reversed.
Right to work
There has been a change to permission to work rules for people seeking asylum. People who have been waiting for over a year for their asylum claim to be decided can request permission to work. People who applied for permission to work before 26th March 2026, if granted, can work in any job on the Appendix Immigration Salary List. For people who apply for permission on or after 26th March 2026, that work must be in a role on Appendix Skilled Occupations – a different list – but only if its skill level is RQF 6 or higher (i.e. degree level roles). This is a further restriction the right to work for most people in the asylum system.
Detention of families
The government has said they want to make it easier to remove families from the UK who do not have status. At the moment, detentions and removals of families with children under 18 are unusual due to rules about detaining and using force on children. It is absolutely right that children are protected against state violence, and we strongly oppose any weakening of these protections. We know people will be worried to hear this.
What has changed already?
Nothing has changed yet. The government is consulting on these measures. Currently there is a family returns process in place, but it is very rarely used.
The government has announced a pilot to try to increase “voluntary” returns by offering families up to £10,000 per person to leave the UK. This is already under way.
What can we do?
There is currently a consultation open on family returns. We encourage organisations and local authorities to respond. It is open until the 28th May 2026. In the coming weeks GMIAU will publish more detailed explanations of what the consultation is asking and how we are going to respond.
Asylum and care leaver support
The government is consulting on major changes to the asylum support system. The Home Secretary currently has a duty to provide support for people in the asylum system who would otherwise be destitute – the government plan to change this duty to a power. They want to make it easier to remove support for families who do not have status in the UK. Many people are very concerned that this will mean adults, families and children living in destitution, with no access to support.
Alongside this, they also plan to remove support from some care leavers depending on their immigration status. Care leavers are supported by local authorities under the Children Act – this is not something the Home Office should have any say in, and is deeply concerning.
What has changed already?
These changes are currently being consulted on – no changes have yet been made.
What can we do?
These measures are included in the consultation on family returns. We encourage organisations and local authorities to respond. It is open until the 28th May 2026. In the coming weeks GMIAU will publish more detailed explanations of what the consultation is asking and how we are going to respond.
Other changes
Other changes that you may have seen reported in the news and that people should know about include:
- Lodging further submissions: the validity requirements have now been formalised and placed in the immigration rules. These requirements are that the person must be in the UK; their initial asylum claim must have been refused or withdrawn; and they must have no outstanding asylum or protection claim or appeal. It is important to know that if these conditions are not met the further submissions could be treated as invalid. The Home Office now has more powers to treat fresh claims as withdrawn and not consider them, if people are considered not to be keeping in contact with the Home Office.
- Visa brake: people from Afghanistan, Cameroon, Myanmar and Sudan will no longer be able to apply for student visas in the UK. There has been a lot of coverage of the injustice of this ban and it is being legally challenged.
- The rules for criminality as they affect leave to remain applications and deportations have been changed to include suspended sentences as well as custodial sentences.
- Another consultation is open on the asylum appeals process. The consultation is open until the 22nd April 2026. You can read more about it here.
- In a rare positive change, settlement has become easier for families fleeing domestic abuse as of 26th March 2026. Children of people applying for settlement under Appendix Victim of Domestic Violence no longer have to meet a maintenance or accommodation requirement. Children applying in this route who are now over 18 no longer need to meet the English language or Life in the UK requirement.
- The Ukraine Permission Extension Scheme has been extended for eligible applicants for a further 24 months.
- The BN(O) route has been amended to widen eligibility requirements to include adult children born after 1 July 1979. This will take effect on the 8th April 2026.
Conclusion
We know this is a lot to take in, and the pace of change and level of hostility can feel overwhelming. It feels like the vast majority of the Home Secretary’s policies are aimed at making people’s lives harder, while taking up our energy in responding to calls for evidence and consultations. We don’t know for sure what the impact of our engagement in these consultations will be, but we know it’s important that people’s voices are heard and their lived experience is taken into account. We stand with our communities as we always have, and we face these new challenges together. You can email rivka@gmiau.org if you have questions about this information sheet.