Shabana Mahmood's Immigration and Asylum Bill Set for Parliamentary Introduction

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood will introduce an immigration and asylum bill on Tuesday that pairs new safe-and-legal routes for refugees with tighter controls on asylum claims. The bill creates two sponsorship schemes to launch in autumn—a community-sponsorship programme and a university-student scheme—with a third employer-sponsorship scheme to follow next year. It also proposes to limit claims under the right to family life to parents, spouses or children under 18, tighten modern-slavery protections by removing the 12-month threshold, and require UK-based sponsors for family-reunion applications. A new public-interest test will govern deportations of foreign-national offenders, and a Home Office-based appeals body will replace the independent asylum tribunal. The legislation foresees “immediate forced removal” of individuals who have exhausted all appeals and includes provisions for stricter age-assessment procedures for claimants presenting as children.

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The bill arrives as Labour leader Andy Burnham prepares to become prime minister on 20 July, with Mahmood positioned as the likely incumbent Home Secretary. Labour peer Alf Dubs, a Kindertransport survivor, has publicly criticised the proposed restrictions, calling them “performative cruelty.” Keir Starmer, Labour leader, is reported to have defended immigration minister Mike Tapp, while Burnham’s team has signalled overall support for the bill despite reservations about retrospective indefinite-leave-to-remain (ILR) changes. Civil-society leaders Jo Cobley (Safe Passage International), Madeleine Sumption (Oxford Migration Observatory), and Anita Hurrell (Refugee and Migrant Children’s Consortium) have also entered the debate.

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Official statistics show a 50 % decline in refugees arriving via safe and legal routes in Q1 2026 compared with the same period in 2025, with just over 3,600 people granted protection through resettlement or family-reunion schemes. The family-reunion programme was paused in September 2025 and is expected to reopen in spring 2026, though no specific date has been set. Mahmood has said the new routes will initially admit “hundreds” of refugees annually, with a longer-term aim of “thousands” per year, citing Canada’s community-sponsorship model that has admitted 400,000 refugees since 1979.

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Mahmood has framed the legislation as a means to “open new legal routes for genuine refugees while closing loopholes that have been too often abused,” emphasizing a multigenerational asylum system. Burnham has confirmed the bill will be introduced as planned and has expressed backing for the overall approach, while noting he retains “some reservations” about applying ILR changes retroactively. The government also states the bill will align the application of Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights with immigration and deportation cases.

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Alf Dubs described the measures as “performative cruelty” and urged the government to scrap the restrictions. Jo Cobley warned that the bill is being pushed before a new prime minister is confirmed, calling the plans “harsh.” Anita Hurrell highlighted risks to unaccompanied children, families, and victims of modern slavery, questioning the impact of tighter family-life definitions and age-assessment tools. Madeleine Sumption raised concerns about sponsor eligibility, asking whether faith-based groups will be permitted to select beneficiaries on religious grounds.

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• “This is Labour’s reset moment when we can consign to the past some of the appalling language used by politicians to describe refugees: ‘invaders’, ‘an island of strangers’, ‘tearing our country apart’,” — Alf Dubs, Labour peer

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• “I will open new legal routes for genuine refugees, while closing loopholes that have been too often abused. My goal is simple: to ensure we have an asylum system not just today but for generations to come.” — Shabana Mahmood, Home Secretary

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• “skip past newsletter promotion Free newsletter | Every weekday Sign up to First Edition Our morning email breaks down the key stories of the day, telling you what’s happening and why it matters Preview latest Enter your email Sign up after newsletter promotion The chief executive of Safe Passage International, Jo Cobley, said: “We were anticipating this bill to be introduced after a new prime minister is confirmed, but it seems the home secretary is determined to push through these harsh plans for refugees.” — Jo Cobley, Chief Executive, Safe Passage International

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• “The unaccompanied children and families we work with, who have been torn apart by war and persecution, must be able to reunite as a family and get the protection they need.” — Anita Hurrell, Co-chair, Refugee and Migrant Children’s Consortium

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• “I suspect that as the details are finalised, there will be some debate about who is allowed to sponsor. For example, will faith groups like churches and mosques be licensed as sponsors, and if so will they be able to select on the basis of faith?” — Madeleine Sumption, Director, Oxford Migration Observatory

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Sources differ on whether the ILR extension from five to ten years is contained within the bill; some indicate it is absent but could be introduced via secondary legislation, while other reports suggest it is part of the draft. The exact date for reopening family-reunion applications remains unspecified. Criteria for sponsor eligibility, particularly for faith-based organisations, have not been disclosed, leaving uncertainty about potential discrimination safeguards. A child-rights impact assessment has not been published.

The Guardian

The bill will be debated in the House of Commons next week, with a vote expected before Burnham assumes the premiership on 20 July. Amendments may be tabled by opposition MPs and civil-society groups. Implementation of the sponsorship schemes is slated to begin in autumn 2026, and the government has pledged to monitor refugee arrivals and the effectiveness of the new routes as the legislative process unfolds.

The Guardian