The Home Office has announced a series of reforms to the asylum and immigration system. We have summarised them below, in chronological order of when they take effect.

5 March 2026

Consultation: Reforming Asylum Support and Enforcing Family Returns

The Home Office has begun a private consultation with a range of partners and stakeholders over a 12-week period on their approach to family returns and support for families whose asylum claims have been refused. The consultation seeks views on the commencement of provisions in Part 5 of the Immigration Act 2016 which reform the support available to families with no legal basis to remain in the UK and the framework under which support may be provided or discontinued.

Currently, families with children under 18 can continue receiving Section 95 support indefinitely after their asylum claim is refused. Proposed reforms under Schedule 11 of the Immigration Act 2016 aim to offer Home Office support to families only in certain circumstances.

Asylum-seekers who would otherwise be destitute would continue to receive Section 95 support while their claim or appeal is ongoing. However eligibility would also be expanded to include:

  • adults who submit further qualifying submissions that have not been decided within a set timeframe;
  • individuals whose further submissions are rejected but who are granted permission to seek judicial review.

Schedule 11 also abolishes Section 4 support and introduces Section 95A, a new form of support for people seeking asylum whose claims have been refused and who would otherwise be destitute and face a “genuine obstacle” to leaving the UK. Transitional arrangements would apply to people currently receiving or applying for Section 4 support (including a pending appeal on Section 4 support).

After appeal rights are exhausted, individuals and families would receive Section 95 support for a limited grace period to arrange departure or apply for Section 95A support. Once this period ends, they would no longer be eligible for standard support.

The “genuine obstacles” include:

  • medical inability to travel, supported by evidence;
  • inability to obtain travel documents despite reasonable efforts;
  • no viable route of return; or
  • other exceptional circumstances recognised by the Home Secretary.

Medical treatment needs, the absence of treatment in the country of return, or medical advice against travel will not automatically qualify as a genuine obstacle. To continue receiving Section 95A support, individuals must take all reasonable steps to leave the UK, including cooperating with efforts to obtain travel documents.

Unlike Section 4 support, there would be no statutory right of appeal against refusal or termination of Section 95A support.

The consultation also seeks views on the Government’s approach to enforcing the return of families who do not depart voluntarily. This includes proposals relating to the circumstances in which physical interventions may be used in the course of an enforced return.

26 March 2026

Introduction of the Visa Brake

A visa brake for Afghanistan, Cameroon, Myanmar, and Sudan will come into force on 26 March 2026. Home Office will refuse Student visa applications from main applicants who are nationals of Afghanistan, Cameroon, Myanmar, and Sudan, and refuse Skilled Worker visa applications from main applicants who are nationals of Afghanistan. The brake will not apply to applications made before 26 March.

Reducing the duration of refugee and humanitarian protection, permission to stay

Home Office is amending the existing rule to reduce the duration of permission to stay from 5 years to 30 months for those recognised as refugees or in need of humanitarian protection. Renewal of protection will not be equivalent to making an initial asylum claim. The rules will come into force from 26 March and will apply to adults and families, including accompanied asylum-seeking children, who claim asylum on and after 2 March 2026.

Unaccompanied asylum-seeking children will be exempt from this change and will continue to receive 5 years permission to stay. This will remain Home Office policy while the pathway for this cohort is developed.

27 March 2026

Conditions of Support and Illegal Working

The Home Office is amending existing conditions of support legislation to enable the suspension or discontinuation of asylum support where an asylum seeker is working illegally. This will apply where support is provided under section 4, 95 and 98 of the 1999 Act.

This will be done via two instruments. The first will amend regulation 20(1) of the Asylum Support Regulations 2000 for section 95 and section 98 support and this change will come into force on 27 March 2026. The second will amend regulation 6 of the Immigration and Asylum (Provision of Accommodation to Failed Asylum Seekers) Regulations 2005 for Section 4 support and will come into force on 2 June 2026.

8 April 2026

Procedure and Rights of Appeal changes for Failed Asylum Seekers

Individuals will be required to meet all validity requirements at the point they make further submissions. This includes, being in the UK when further submissions are made, being a failed asylum seeker, meaning their initial asylum claim has been refused or withdrawn, and having no outstanding appeal rights or other ongoing protection claims or appeals. Where these requirements are not met, the further submissions may be rejected as invalid without consideration. A person making further submissions must attend an in-person appointment at a Service and Support Centre in order to do so.

Home Office is also introducing a new provision for implicit withdrawal, similar to the arrangements already in place for initial asylum claims. This will allow the Home Office to treat further submissions as withdrawn where an individual fails to comply with process requirements including maintaining contact with the Home Office, attending reporting events and responding to requests for information.

Further extension of the Ukraine Permission Extension (UPE) Scheme

Home Office is extending Ukraine Permission Extension (UPE) leave by a further 24 months. Increasing the application window from 28 to 90 days is designed to make the process more accessible. This extension will remain fee-free and those granted permission to remain under UPE will continue to be able to access work, benefits, healthcare, and education. Any extant leave will be preserved and added to their new grant.

2 June 2026

Revoking the Duty to Provide Asylum Support

On 2 June 2026, Regulation 5 of The Asylum Seekers (Reception Conditions) Regulations 2005 is revoked. Following this change, the ‘duty’ to provide asylum support will become a discretionary power under the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 (“the 1999 act).

26 March 2027

English language requirements for settlement applications

The Home Office is increasing the English language requirement for settlement to B2 level under the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) for a number of routes where the existing requirement is at B1 level. The changes will come into force on 26 March 2027.

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