2nd March 2026

Today, the Home Secretary has announced that from now on, refugees who apply for and are granted asylum in the UK will be given 2.5 years’ temporary refugee status. While there are still many unanswered questions, the Home Secretary’s statement gives some clarity to the policy which was announced in November, and which we know has caused a lot of fear and uncertainty among our communities.

What is changing?

Currently, people recognised by the UK as being at risk of persecution in their home country are granted five years of refugee status – guaranteed protection. At the end of this period, they can apply for permanent status (indefinite leave to remain), giving them stability and the ability to rebuild their lives. 

Under today’s announcement:

• This system will be replaced with a new “core protection status”. This means people will be given leave to remain for two and a half years at a time and required to reapply at the end of each period. 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.” 

• Refugees will now have to wait 20 years – renewing this “core protection” status eight times – before they can apply for indefinite leave to remain, instead of the current five. This is part of a host of changes to settlement rules that we expect to be introduced later in 2026.

• These changes apply for people who claim asylum or make a fresh claim from 2nd March 2026. The new Immigration Rules to reflect this were published on Thursday 5th March.

Who is not impacted?

People who have already claimed asylum, whether or not they have already been granted, will not be affected by this change. People who have 5 years refugee status already will keep it. People who claimed asylum before Monday 2nd March 2026 and are granted after it will get 5 years’ status.

Unaccompanied children seeking asylum are also not affected by this change. They will continue to receive 5 years’ refugee status even if they claim asylum after 2nd March. This includes unaccompanied children who turn 18 before receiving a decision.

Our advice

We know this news is very stressful. The UK still has the same international obligations to refugees and must consider your claim for protection. Attempts to weaken refugee protection will always be challenged by us at GMIAU and many others, through research, campaigns and legal challenges. Lots of people and organisations have already spoken out against these measures, from the UNHCR to people in asylum hotels in Greater Manchester. We are always on your side.

We will update this post with more information as we get it.