The UK government is moving to introduce stricter immigration laws aimed at reducing the number of asylum seekers housed in hotels and stopping convicted sex offenders from claiming refugee protection. These new rules come in response to growing public concern following incidents such as the chemical attack in Clapham by Abdul Ezedi, who was previously convicted of a sexual offence before being granted asylum.
Under the proposed changes, any foreign national convicted of a crime that places them on the UK’s sex offenders register will automatically be denied refugee status, regardless of the length of their sentence. This marks a shift from the current policy, which only denies asylum to those sentenced to a year or more in prison.
The Home Office stated that these measures would tighten border security and help clear the asylum backlog. One of the key goals is to reduce the use of costly hotel accommodations for asylum seekers. A new 24-week deadline will also be set for first-tier immigration tribunals to decide on appeals made by asylum seekers living in hotels.
The government says these steps align with international rules under the Refugee Convention, which already allows countries to reject asylum seekers who have committed “particularly serious crimes.” Home Secretary Yvette Cooper emphasized that these laws are meant to keep communities safe and cut public spending on prolonged legal processes.
Yvette Cooper said: “Sex offenders who pose a risk to the community should not be allowed to benefit from refugee protections in the UK. Nor should asylum seekers be stuck in hotels at the taxpayers’ expense during lengthy legal battles.”
These changes will be introduced as an amendment to the Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill now moving through Parliament. The government is also focusing on broader safety reforms, including its goal to reduce violence against women and girls by half within a decade. Safeguarding Minister Jess Phillips said that keeping foreign criminals out of the system is part of that goal.
In addition, the Home Office announced the use of artificial intelligence to help speed up the asylum process. AI will assist in summarising interviews and gathering country-specific advice, potentially saving caseworkers up to an hour per case.
The overall immigration reform plan includes scrapping the previous Rwanda deportation policy and giving police and border agents stronger powers to fight people smuggling and dangerous Channel crossings.
What is the UK changing in its asylum rules?
The UK will now deny refugee status to any migrant on the sex offenders register and aims to reduce hotel use by speeding up legal decisions in asylum cases.