"Currently, those fleeing persecution are given a five-year right to stay in the country and can apply for settled status after that. Ms Mahmood wants refugees to stay in the country initially only for a 30-month period, and then review their status to see whether they will be allowed to remain in the country for another 30 months. After two decades in Britain, they could apply to stay here permanently."
"Denmark is held up as the model. A decade ago a centre-left government there was under pressure, with a surging populist right and immigration dominating voters' concerns. Danish Social Democrats claimed that getting tough on refugees helped them win the election. However, the reality was messier. Copenhagen stripped Syrians of protection, yet could not remove them, leaving people stuck in deportation centres, unable to work or live normally. The result was a permanently marginalised population in enforced limbo."
"Ms Mahmood's Home Office aims to reassess tens of thousands of refugees every two and a half years. With around 100,000 asylum claims annually and many from countries that have a high grant rate the system would soon need to conduct around 70,000 reviews each year. The Refugee Council says that the Home Office would need to review the status of 1.4 million people by 2035 at a cost of 872m."
Ms Mahmood proposes changing settlement rules so refugees receive an initial 30-month stay, followed by a 30-month review and extension, with permanent settlement only after twenty years. Denmark is presented as a model, but Copenhagen stripped Syrians of protection and could not remove them, leaving many stuck in deportation centres and permanently marginalised. The Home Office would need to reassess tens of thousands every 2.5 years; with roughly 100,000 asylum claims annually this implies about 70,000 reviews per year. The Refugee Council estimates 1.4 million reviews by 2035 at a cost of £872m, while the Home Office already faces a 50,000-appeal backlog and long waits.
Read at www.theguardian.com
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]