UK — Shabana Mahmood introduced the immigration and asylum bill to parliament. The proposed legislation includes requiring asylum seekers to pay a £10,000 fee before acquiring settled status in the United Kingdom.

The bill also outlines a new appeals system that would not involve judges. Additionally, it seeks to introduce new restrictions on claims related to trafficking.

Home Office documents released on Tuesday indicate that plans to set new limits on Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights are projected to result in an additional 11,700 claims being rejected annually. An analysis by the Home Office shows that 34,000 asylum seekers were allowed to remain in the UK last year based on Article 8, which is a human rights route based on family or private life. The Home Office also estimated the lifetime cost of each migrant invoking ECHR rights to be £141,000 after tax.

The legislation specifies that Article 8 claims will only pertain to a tightened definition of a "core family unit," which includes spouses, parents, and children. According to the bill, individuals who establish families while residing in the UK illegally will no longer be able to use their spouse or children to prevent deportation. A Home Office impact assessment indicates that 55% of those refused under Article 8 reforms are expected to remain in the UK.

The bill further proposes alterations to the Modern Slavery Act. These changes aim to address what the government describes as abuse of the legislation. Under the proposed bill, modern slavery claims must be submitted within a specific timeframe after arrival in the UK, and each individual will be limited to making only one such claim.

Imran Hussain, director of external affairs at the Refugee Council, commented on the proposals. He stated, "It would create a whole new architecture of bureaucracy for the Home Office by building a new appeals system and imposing an unfair extra tax on refugees, while ignoring the poor quality of initial decisions that is actually driving significant delays and costs." Hussain added, "If the government is serious about building a fair and functioning asylum system, it must start by breaking the cycle of quick fixes and bills that create long-term chaos."