LONDON — UK Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said Sunday that illegal migration is “tearing the country apart” as she prepares to unveil sweeping reforms to the asylum system, including a proposal to require refugees to wait 20 years before applying for permanent settlement.

The new measures, set to be detailed Monday, also include regular reviews of refugee status and the return of asylum recipients whose home countries are later deemed safe.

Mahmood described the changes as a “moral mission,” arguing that current rules create “unfair” conditions that give some asylum seekers better provisions than British citizens.

“I know illegal migration is causing huge divides here in our own country,” Mahmood told the BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg. “We need to act if we are to retain public consent for having an asylum system at all.”

Under the planned reforms, refugee status would be reviewed every two-and-a-half years.

Mahmood said asylum seekers who arrive through legal routes, find work and contribute to society may qualify for early settlement, though details remain unclear.

The plans mirror Denmark’s restrictive model, under which refugees receive temporary residence permits and must reapply when they expire.

The proposals have already drawn criticism from some Labour MPs, who argue the approach echoes “far-right talking points.”

Mahmood rejected that claim, citing her personal experience as the child of lawful migrants. “Immigration is woven into my experience as a Brit,” she said.

She also plans to repeal a 2005 legal duty requiring the government to provide housing and financial allowances to asylum seekers, shifting support to a discretionary basis.

Those convicted of crimes or who fail to find work could lose benefits.

The home secretary said criminal gangs are advertising “free hotels and food” to encourage migrants to travel to the UK, creating “pull factors” the government must address.

Opposition parties have sharply divided over the proposals. Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp said the Conservative government would go further, pledging to deport illegal arrivals “within a week.”

Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey argued asylum seekers should instead be granted the right to work.

Enver Solomon, chief executive of the Refugee Council, said the 20-year waiting period would leave people “in limbo and in tense anxiety for many, many years.”

The UK received 109,343 asylum applications in the 12 months to March, a 17% increase from the previous year.

According to Home Office data, 1,069 migrants arrived by small boat in the past week. More than 39,000 have arrived so far in 2025, surpassing totals for 2023 and 2024. — BBC