Tag: Home Office

The press release issued by the Home Office on 15 May 2025.

A new dedicated taskforce has been launched to transform the way in which the police respond to organised immigration crime gangs operating from the UK.

A new dedicated taskforce has been launched to transform the way in which the police respond to organised immigration crime gangs operating from the UK, facilitating people-smuggling across the Channel.

The Organised Immigration Crime Domestic Taskforce will be led by Deputy Chief Constable, Wendy Gunney, who is the National Lead for Serious Organised Crime at the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC).

Wendy will be supported by a full-time, dedicated assistant chief constable, and will report progress on a regular basis to the Border Security Commander, Martin Hewitt, and the Home Secretary, Yvette Cooper.

The taskforce will be responsible for delivering progress on recent recommendations made by His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS), following an inspection of the approach to tackling organised immigration crime across the UK.

The inspection, commissioned in January 2024 by the then Home Secretary, looked at police force performance in relation to organised immigration crime between January 2024 and July 2024. It found that while progress has been made, more must be done, with HMICFRS setting out 10 key recommendations, including the need for more effective action against smuggling gangs based in the UK.

This new approach will ensure all police forces work alongside the National Crime Agency, Immigration Enforcement and Border Force to treat this crime type as a priority.

In practice, this will mean better information-sharing and more co-ordinated tasking, ensuring UK policing is able to use every tool at its disposal to prevent organised criminal networks from undermining UK immigration law, and working to identify and dismantle any smuggling gangs operating from a UK base.

Home Secretary, Yvette Cooper, said:

This new specialist taskforce directly responds to recommendations made by His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services and marks a significant step in our Plan for Change to secure Britain’s borders. By bringing together expertise under Deputy Chief Constable Wendy Gunney’s leadership and working closely with Martin Hewitt, we are ensuring a co-ordinated, nationwide approach that will put this vital issue at the forefront of policing priorities.

This taskforce reflects our commitment to giving law enforcement the tools they need to dismantle criminal networks that undermine our immigration system and put lives at risk. Police forces and regional organised crime units across the UK need to rapidly gear up the response to organised immigration crime, and smuggling and trafficking gangs.  Already we have set up the Border Security Command, and the National Crime Agency has substantially increased its operations and intelligence gathering work with other countries.

These gangs undermine border security and put lives at risk. We need every possible tool to stop them and put dangerous criminals behind bars.

Deputy Chief Constable, Wendy Gunney, said:

The Organised Immigration Crime Domestic Taskforce will enable our well-established partnerships with other law enforcement agencies to create a multi-agency, national response in tackling organised immigration crime.

The taskforce will build on existing work driven by the NPCC’s modern slavery and organised immigration crime programme, which supports local force operational activity and intelligence collection linked to the wider organised immigration crime threat.

By working this way, we will accelerate intelligence and information sharing, ensuring organised immigration crime is disrupted robustly and effectively.

Border Security Commander, Martin Hewitt, said:

Wendy’s wealth of experience and knowledge on serious and organised crime is a vital asset in our fight to tackle border security threats, and I am delighted she has agreed to lead this taskforce.

This is a key part of my whole-system approach to securing our borders, because it puts tackling immigration crime at the forefront of policing priorities.

Police forces across the UK are already very committed to this issue, and while immigration-related arrests and charges have increased, we know there is more to do. So, this is about optimising that collective effort to deliver a properly functioning immigration system, and a safe and secure border.

This latest step comes as Prime Minister Keir Starmer continues his visit in Tirana today, to step up co-operation on migration and expand successful joint initiatives with Albania to more countries in the region.

It also follows the Prime Minister’s unveiling of the government’s immigration white paper earlier this week, a comprehensive plan that will bring net migration to the UK down significantly, and restore fairness in our immigration system.

The press release issued by the Home Office on 12 May 2025.

Thousands more victims to access life-saving support through a £19.9 million investment in specialist services.

Thousands more victims of domestic abuse, sexual violence, ‘honour’-based abuse and stalking will have access to specialist support services thanks to a boost of nearly £20 million announced by the Safeguarding Minister today.

Part of this funding will go towards backing helplines which can offer potentially life-saving support for survivors of abuse. Victims can find these experiences incredibly hard to talk about and contacting helplines for advice is often the first critical step in their journey to escape abuse, access vital support and eventually seek justice.

To help more victims access support at the most vulnerable moments in their lives, a range of helplines supporting victims of domestic abuse, sexual violence, ‘honour’-based abuse and stalking will benefit from £6 million in investment this year – an increase of around a fifth compared to the previous year.

This investment is designed to reach as many different communities as possible and will bolster a range of vital specialist services in England and Wales supporting victims and survivors who face unique and challenging circumstances.

Nine helplines across 8 charities, including: Refuge who run the National Domestic Abuse helpline; Hourglass, a charity supporting older victims; SignHealth who support victims who are Deaf; Galop; The Suzy Lamplugh Trust; Karma Nirvana; and Respect will receive funding to continue providing vital helpline services to victims, recruit more staff and support more victims escaping abuse.

Minister for Safeguarding and Violence against Women and Girls, Jess Phillips said:

No victim should ever feel abandoned when trying to escape abuse. But the harsh reality is that too many do – especially those from marginalised communities who face significant additional hurdles.

Last week, I met survivors who felt the system wasn’t built for people like them. I hope this funding will change that. It’s about smashing down barriers and making sure every single person facing abuse has somewhere to turn when they make the brave decision to seek help.

The funding package announced today also includes £5.3 million for services supporting children affected by domestic abuse, who are often the hidden victims of this devastating crime, to support them through one-to-one and group counselling, classroom-based assistance and help for their non-abusive parents across 8 specialist services nationwide.

Charity Southall Black Sisters will receive £2.4 million to support migrant victims of abuse who are not able to access public funds.

And to give victims direct access to financial support to escape abusive relationships, a wide range of specialist domestic abuse services will receive around £2 million through the Women’s Aid Flexible Fund. Through the fund, organisations across England and Wales, including Welsh Women’s Aid, will give payments of up to £500 to help victims secure safety and one-off payments of up to £2,500 for deposits for rental accommodation to help secure sustainable and independent futures.

This is underscored by £2.5 million for projects to help prevent and improve the response to violence and abuse against women and girls, raise awareness of these issues and protect victims who are at risk.

The government was elected on a mission to make our streets safer for everyone as part of the Prime Minister’s Plan for Change.

Today’s announcement marks a vital step in our pledge to halve violence against women and girls in a decade, ensuring victims of these appalling crimes have somewhere to turn and the support they need to recover from abuse.

Domestic Abuse Commissioner, Dame Nicole Jacobs, said:

Whether fearing for their lives or growing up in a home filled with stress and anxiety, victims should feel confident that support will be there to help them recover, but sadly too often this isn’t the case.

This funding for struggling specialist domestic abuse services, especially those supporting children, will bring much needed relief to survivors and services, who have been doing all they can to ensure help is there for people during one of their most vulnerable moments in life.

Tackling domestic abuse requires drive, ambition and political will. I look forward to seeing how the government’s forthcoming violence against women and girls’ strategy builds on this investment by ensuring every victim and survivor gets what they need – exactly when they need it – so they can recover from abuse.

Last week, the Minister for Safeguarding visited Refuge’s headquarters to meet with charity leaders and victims and discuss the unique challenges facing vulnerable individuals and harder to reach communities when they seek help. She also saw the National Domestic Abuse helpline in action and spoke to call handlers about the vital work they do.

CEO of Refuge, Gemma Sherrington said:

The National Domestic Abuse Helpline, operated by Refuge, offers a lifeline for thousands of survivors every year. Open 7 days a week and 365 days a year, the support given by the helpline often represents the first step towards a life free from abuse and fear.

We are incredibly grateful for this much-needed funding boost, which will sustain this vital service for the coming year. Rather than covering the running costs of the helpline, our fundraised resources can now be directed towards supporting survivors, while bringing us one step closer to a world where domestic abuse is not tolerated.

The funding will also allow us to extend our live chat hours and make accessibility improvements to the helpline website, meaning we can reach more survivors than ever before.

Esther*, a survivor of domestic abuse supported by Refuge, said:

Funding for domestic abuse services is not only vital but absolutely necessary. Domestic abuse, in all its shapes, is still very much a problem and I’m hearing more and more tragic stories than ever before. Funding is needed for not only the aftercare for victims/survivors but also for the services that provide advice and support for people that are fleeing abuse.

The transition from deciding to leave and actually leaving is one of the scariest experiences and it’s important that support and guidance is on hand. I know for certain that without help from these services, my story would have ended very differently, and I would not be here to talk at all. They gave me the courage and opportunity to live and smile again. I will always be forever grateful.

Alongside Raneem’s Law, with domestic abuse specialists embedded in the first 999 control rooms across the country, this £19.9 million investment will help ensure that wherever victims of these crimes reach out for help – whether to police or charities – they will receive a specialist response tailored to their needs.

This announcement follows a £13.1 million investment in a new policing centre to tackle violence against women and girls and enable police to better target these crimes, an uplift of nearly £2 million.

Nikita Kanda, broadcaster and Refuge ambassador, said:

I welcome today’s announcement of almost £20 million in funding for a range of vital and specialist services including Refuge’s National Domestic Abuse helpline. With this investment we will be able to strengthen our commitment to support all communities and empower those enduring domestic violence.

The press release issued by the Home Office on 12 May 2025.

Radical reforms to Britain’s immigration system, restoring control to our borders and reducing record-high levels of net migration have been set out.

Measures unveiled in the immigration white paper published today (Monday 12 May) will reshape our immigration system towards those who contribute most to economic growth, with higher skills standards for graduates and workers.

New requirements on employers to boost domestic training will end the reliance on international recruitment, restoring order to a failed system that saw net migration quadruple between 2019 and 2023.

Key policies in the 82 page blueprint, titled Restoring Control over the Immigration System, include the following:

• reversing the long-term trend of increasing international recruitment at the expense of skills and training
• the labour market evidence group will be established, drawing on the best data available in order to make informed decisions about the state of the labour market and the role that different policies should play, rather than always relying on migration
• departments across government will engage sector bodies as part of this approach

Raising Skilled Worker threshold – skilled must mean skilled

Lifting the level for skilled workers back to RQF 6 (Graduate level) and above. Salary thresholds will rise.

The immigration salary list, which gives people discounts from salary thresholds, will be abolished.

Access to the points-based immigration system will be limited to occupations where there have been long term shortages, on a time limited basis, where the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) has advised it is justified, where there is a workforce strategy in place, and where employers seeking to recruit from abroad are committed to playing their part in increasing recruitment from the domestic workforce.

Adult social care

End overseas recruitment for social care visas. In line with our wider reforms to skills thresholds, we will close social care visas to new applications from abroad.

For a transition period until 2028, while the workforce strategy is being developed and rolled out, we will permit visa extensions and in-country switching for those already here. This will be kept under review.

Study

We will strengthen the requirements that all sponsoring institutions must meet in order to recruit international students.

We will introduce new interventions for sponsors who are close to failing their sponsor duties, including placing them on an action plan designed to improve their compliance, and imposing limits on the number of new international students they can recruit while they are subject to those plans.

We will reduce the ability for graduates to remain in the UK after their studies to a period of 18 months.

Family

We will tackle the over complex family and private life immigration arrangements, where too many cases are treated as ‘exceptional’ rather than having a clear framework.

Legislation will be brought forward to make clear it is the government and Parliament that decides who should have the right to remain in the UK. This will address cases where Article 8 right to family life legal arguments are being used to frustrate deportation where removal is clearly in the public interest.

Growth

We will go further in ensuring that the very highly skilled have opportunities to come to the UK and access our targeted routes for the brightest and best global talent.

This includes increasing the number of people arriving on our very high talent routes, alongside faster routes for bringing people to the UK who have the right skills and experience to supercharge UK growth in strategic industries.

This includes increasing places to our scheme for research interns, making it easier for top scientific and design talent to use our Global Talent visa, and reviewing our Innovator Founder visa and High Potential Individual route to maximise their benefit to the UK economy.

Tackling abuse

New policies will apply to individuals who claim asylum where conditions in their home country have not materially changed, particularly where they have claimed asylum after arrival.

Tighter visa controls, restrictions, requirements or scrutiny will be applied where we have evidence of abuse, based on a clear assessment of the risks.

Measures to ensure that other governments play their part in supporting the integrity of the UK immigration system – particularly where there are currently barriers in the way of us returning their nationals.

Innovative financial measures, penalties or sanctions, including for sponsors of migrant workers or students where there is evidence of abuse. These will incentivise them to act responsibly, with new measures to support compliance with visa conditions by migrants.

Foreign national offenders (FNOs)

Reform the deportation system to ensure the Home Office is informed of all foreign nationals convicted of offences – not just those who go to prison.

Review deportation thresholds to take into account a wider range of factors than just the length of sentence, and start by revising the statutory exceptions criteria to ensure that the deportation test reflects the seriousness of violence against women and girls.

English language

Introduce new English language requirements across a broader range of immigration routes, for both main applicants and their dependants, to ensure a better knowledge of English, including an assessment of improvements over time.

Earned settlement and citizenship

Double the standard qualifying period for settlement to 10 years.

Expand the points-based system to both our settlement and citizenship rules, so they are based on contribution to the UK, with further details to be set out to Parliament by the end of the year.

The policies outlined, part of the government’s Plan for Change, will be delivered over the course of this Parliament to strengthen the UK’s immigration system, with the first changes set to be introduced in the coming weeks.

The government will publish further reforms to the asylum system and border security later this summer, building on measures in the Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill currently progressing through Parliament.

The press release issued by the Home Office on 12 May 2025.

International recruitment for care workers will end under plans announced by Home Secretary Yvette Cooper.

The government’s Immigration White Paper, published in Parliament tomorrow, will include the change as the government takes action to bring down historically high levels of net migration.

Care workers from overseas have made a huge contribution to social care in the UK, but too many have been subject to shameful levels of abuse and exploitation.

Workers seeking to support the UK’s care sector arrived to find themselves saddled with debt, treated unfairly, or in extreme cases discover the jobs they were promised did not exist.

In March, the Home Office revealed over 470 care providers had had their licence to sponsor international staff suspended since 2022.

Under plans to be outlined on Monday (12 May), the government will go further and put an end to any more overseas recruitment.

The crackdown on rogue care providers has seen around 40,000 workers displaced, many of whom are ready to rejoin the workforce. They will be given the opportunity to do the jobs they were promised, while long-term plans are drawn up to train homegrown talent into the care sector.

International workers who are already sponsored to work legally in the sector will be able to continue to extend their stay, change sponsors and apply to settle, including those who need to switch employers following a sponsor licence revocation.

This government is committed to tackling these issues and has committed to establishing Fair Pay Agreements which will empower worker, employer and other sector representatives to negotiate improvements in the terms of employment. This builds on the announcement in January of the expansion of the Care Workforce Pathway which will support the adult social care sector to professionalise the workforce.

Together, these measures will move the UK away from a dependence on overseas workers to fulfil our care needs. Baroness Casey has also begun work on an independent commission into adult social care – a once in a generation opportunity to transcend party politics and build consensus on the future of the sector.

The Immigration White Paper, published in full tomorrow, is part of government efforts to restore order, control and fairness to the system, bring down net migration and promote economic growth.

The press release issued by the Home Office on 11 May 2025.

New reforms to deportation and removal rules will make it easier to remove foreign criminals committing crimes in the UK, the Home Office will announce tomorrow.

Currently the Home Office is only informed of foreign nationals given prison sentences and deportation arrangements focus predominantly on those sentenced to more than a year in prison.

Under the new arrangements, the Home Office will be informed of all foreign nationals convicted of offences – not just those who receive prison sentences – and will be able to use wider removal powers on other crimes including swifter action to remove people who have recently arrived in the country but have already committed crimes.

The overhaul will make it easier to remove those who commit offences – including violence against women and girls, street and knife crimes – before the threat they pose escalates.

The reforms will be announced tomorrow as part of the government’s Immigration White Paper, which will radically reform Britain’s failed immigration system.

The Home Office will consider all offences, not just those that carry a 12-month custodial sentence, and strengthen powers to remove perpetrators of violence against women and girls.

Any foreign national placed on the Sex Offenders Register – regardless of sentence length – will be classed as having committed a ‘serious crime’ with no right to asylum protections in the UK.

Since July 2024, the Home Office has removed 3,594 foreign criminals from the UK – a 16% increase on the same period 12 months prior.

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said:

It is a basic requirement – those who come to the UK should abide by our laws. The system for returning foreign criminals has been far too weak for too long. Already we have increased the number of foreign national offenders being removed since the election. But we need much higher standards. The rules need to be respected and enforced.

We need to restore control so that net migration comes down and proper standards and order are returned.

As part of the White Paper, the government will also update refusal policies and immigration rules to mirror these changes. This means if a person commits an offence while on a short-term visa, they will be refused if they make a fresh application.

New measures will be explored to swiftly cancel visas to those who commit crimes, ensuring action is taken against offenders before they can put down roots in the UK.

Notes to editors

• As part of the Government’s Plan for Change to have Safer Streets and Secure Borders, and efforts to digitise information flows, the Government will be working with partners across the criminal justice system to ensure data on convictions of migrants in the UK is shared swiftly so the necessary action can be taken.

The press release issued by the Home Office on 11 May 2025.

Britain’s failed immigration system will be radically reformed so the system is controlled, managed and fair under a landmark White Paper to be published tomorrow (Monday 12 May).

The government inherited a chaotic immigration system that saw net migration soar to record levels – driven by a huge increase in overseas recruitment since 2020.

The government is now delivering on the priorities of working people to bring down numbers, restore control of Britain’s borders and make the system work for the economy.

The Immigration White Paper will deliver on its manifesto pledge to cut migration by training domestic workers, raising the bar on who can come to the UK and ending reliance on overseas labour.

It will establish tough new controls to restore order to a failed system that saw net migration almost quadruple to one million between 2019 and 2023.

New measures mean skills thresholds for work visas will be returned to degree level – reversing a system that saw the proportion of lower-skilled visas issued increase between 2021 and 2024.

Meanwhile the government will end the chronic underinvestment in domestic skills that has hindered economic growth.

We will support businesses to take on British workers through new industry workforce strategies, while introducing much tighter restrictions on recruitment for shortage occupations.

Employers will first need to develop domestic training plans to boost British skills and recruitment levels – increasing productivity and living standards for working people in the UK.

So migration works for the whole UK, the country will remain open to the best of international talent – enhancing economic growth – while ensuring skilled work for migration purposes must truly mean skilled work.

The announcement follows major steps the government has already taken to crackdown on those exploiting the system and restoring order to the immigration system – ramping up removals to return 24,000 people with no right to be here since July 2024, the highest rate in eight years.

But this government is going further. The White Paper establishes whole new approaches to migration across a range of areas – including work, study and family life – based on the principles of control, contribution and community cohesion.

It delivers on the Prime Minister’s Plan for Change to reduce the staggeringly high levels of immigration and replace Britain’s failing approach with a new plan that supports national security, economic renewal and restoring the confidence of the public.

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said:

Migration must be properly controlled and managed so the system is fair. Instead, we’ve seen net migration quadruple in the space of just four years, driven especially by overseas recruitment.

We inherited a failed immigration system where the previous government replaced free movement with a free market experiment.

Employers were given much greater freedom to recruit from abroad while action on training fell.

Overseas recruitment soared at the same time as big increases in the number of people not working or in education here in the UK.

The last government lost control of the immigration system and there was no proper plan to tackle skills shortages here at home.

This has undermined public confidence, distorted our labour market, and been really damaging for both our immigration system and our economy.

Under our Plan for Change, we are taking decisive action to restore control and order to the immigration system, raise domestic training and skills, and bring down net migration while promoting economic growth.”

Measures to be set out tomorrow include:

• Raising the skilled visa threshold to RQF6 (graduate level) to reduce increasing numbers of lower-skilled workers coming to the UK – with salary thresholds reflecting the higher skill level.
• For occupations below this level, access to the immigration system will be strictly time-limited, granted only on the basis of strong evidence of shortages which are critical to the industrial strategy and where workforce strategies are drawn up so employers also commit to increasing domestic skills and recruitment.
• Establishing the Labour Market Evidence Group (LMEG) to inform understanding of where sectors are overly reliant on overseas labour and reverse underinvestment in domestic skills.

For the first time it means that there will be a national approach to ensuring that action on skills, employer strategies and increasing UK workforce participation are the first response to labour market shortages rather than employers simply turning to immigration to fill gaps.

Notes to editors

• The Labour Market Evidence Group (LMEG) will be made up of the Industrial Strategy Council, Department of Work and Pensions, skills bodies and the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) and make recommendations on where workforce strategies are needed.
• These reforms are just part of government action to restore order, control and fairness to the system, and the full Immigration White Paper will be published in Parliament tomorrow.

The press release issued by the Home Office on 7 May 2025.

Police officers to no longer be able to escape the sack for gross misconduct as major government reforms to boost standards in policing continue.

Police officers found guilty of gross misconduct will no longer be able to escape dismissal under new rules that will help to root out rogue individuals and drive up standards.

The new rules, being laid in parliament today and due to come into effect at the end of the month, will strengthen the ability of police chiefs to clean out their forces of officers unfit to serve by setting clear expectations about what should happen to those guilty of the most serious behaviour.

Whilst many officers who are found guilty of gross misconduct do get sacked, with over 500 officers dismissed – or “would have been dismissed” if they hadn’t already left the service – last year, there currently is no guarantee that gross misconduct will lead to dismissal.

In some cases, officers remain in post, with 56 officers remaining in policing last year despite being guilty of gross misconduct.

Policing Minister Dame Diana Johnson said:

We place a huge amount of faith and trust in the police officers we see in our communities, and it is vital that only those fit to wear the uniform are serving the public.

We cannot let the majority of officers, who are brave and committed to keeping us safe, be tarnished by the few who commit serious criminality or gross misconduct. They, and the public, deserve certainty that those who are unfit to serve will be dismissed.

With our Plan for Change, we are sending the clear message that no matter where you are in the country, the officers serving on our streets are only of the highest standards.

Under the new rules, which will come into force from 28 May, a presumption of dismissal will be created for proven gross misconduct, which means there will be a clear expectation that officers will be sacked unless there are exceptional circumstances.

These new rules will provide clarity and certainty to the public and officers that gross misconduct has no place in policing, and form part of a series of government reforms to boost public confidence in policing as part of its Safer Streets Mission and Plan for Change. It builds on a new process to sack officers who fail background checks that was announced last month, with holding vetting becoming a legal requirement.

Head of External Affairs at Women’s Aid, Isabelle Younane, said:

Women’s Aid welcomes reforms to policing announced today by the Home Office, which will help ensure that forces are able to remove dangerous perpetrators from their ranks more swiftly.

It is essential that women are able to trust that when they are bravely reporting their experiences of abuse to the police, they aren’t speaking to an officer who has been accused of violence against women and girls (VAWG) related misconduct themselves.

These reforms, alongside those announced previously, are positive first steps to improving women’s trust in the police. We continue to urge for further action to ensure that no individuals with the misogynistic attitudes and beliefs that underpin VAWG are eligible to join.

Victims’ Commissioner Baroness Newlove said:

Today’s changes are a welcome and necessary step toward restoring public trust – and reaffirming the values policing must uphold. Too often and for far too long, red flags have been missed, minimised or ignored.

While only one piece of the puzzle, I hope these measures will help to kick urgently needed cultural change into gear, ensuring only those worthy of the badge are allowed to serve.

The new legislation being laid today will also create a presumption of accelerated hearings for former officers, ensuring swifter proceedings for those who resign or retire before they face a misconduct hearing. Former officers who would have been dismissed had they still been serving will continue to be barred from future service.

Unsatisfactory performance procedures are also being streamlined so that underperforming officers are taken through the process more quickly.

Serious criminal offences will also automatically amount to gross misconduct under these new measures. Whilst ‘indictable only’ criminal offences like rape and grievous bodily harm often lead to misconduct proceedings, this is not currently defined in law, and the government is therefore making it more straightforward for forces to deal with these cases quickly.

As part of the government’s reform agenda, further measures will be brought in later this year to strengthen national vetting standards and ensure every force follows them, as well as introduce stronger requirements to suspend officers under investigation for violence against women and girls.

The press release issued by the Home Office on 28 April 2025.

Foreign nationals who commit sex offences will be excluded from asylum protections in the UK as part of the Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill.

Tougher border security measures will keep British streets safer, with foreign sex offenders to be excluded from refugee protections as the government announces new measures to slash the asylum backlog and strengthen border security through the Plan for Change.

At present, the Refugee Convention entitles countries to refuse asylum to terrorists, war criminals and individuals convicted of a ‘particularly serious crime’ who present a danger to the community – defined in the UK as an offence carrying a sentence of 12 months or more.

For the first time, any conviction of a crime that qualifies a foreign national for the sex offenders register will lead to them being denied refugee status, toughening our approach to border security through stricter enforcement of the rules.

The law change, which will be introduced through a new amendment to the Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill, also marks a further step in the government’s landmark mission to halve violence against women and girls in a decade, making Britain’s streets safer and sending a clear message that sexual offences will be treated with the seriousness they deserve.

The new law comes alongside stronger measures to cut the asylum backlog and save taxpayer money, by giving the tribunals a new target to reduce the time they take to consider appeals from asylum seekers in accommodation, as well as rolling out artificial intelligence (AI) across asylum processing to speed up decision making.

Under the new measures, the first-tier Tribunal Immigration and Asylum Chamber will have a new 24-week target to decide appeals brought by those receiving accommodation support, or who are foreign offenders. This will help stop lengthy legal battles, moving failed asylum seekers out of hotels faster and removing those with no right to be in the country.

The bill will also introduce tougher measures to weed out people who pose as immigration lawyers or advisers, by offering ‘advice’ to migrants on how to claim asylum in the UK and lodge fraudulent claims. The Immigration Advice Authority (IAA) will get expanded powers to hit these crooks with fines of up to £15,000.

Major progress has already been made in fixing the foundations of the asylum system under the new government, with the return of more than 24,000 people with no right to be in the UK in the first 9 months after the election, including a 16% increase in removals of foreign criminals, and asylum decision-making up 52% in the last 3 months of 2024.

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said:

We are restoring order to a broken asylum system that has been mired in delay and dysfunction for far too long, and we are strengthening our system to make sure that the rules are respected and enforced.

Sex offenders who pose a risk to the community should not be allowed to benefit from refugee protections in the UK. We are strengthening the law to ensure these appalling crimes are taken seriously.

Nor should asylum seekers be stuck in hotels at the taxpayers’ expense during lengthy legal battles. That is why we are changing the law to help clear the backlog, end the use of asylum hotels and save billions of pounds for the taxpayer.

This is part of our Plan for Change to strengthen our borders, make our streets safer and restore order to the broken system the last government left behind.

Safeguarding and Violence Against Women and Girls Minister Jess Philips said:

We are determined to achieve our mission of halving violence against women and girls in a decade.

That’s exactly why we are taking action to ensure there are robust safeguards across the system, including by clamping down on foreign criminals who commit heinous crimes like sex offences.

It is right we ensure that convicted, registered sex offenders are not entitled to refugee status, as part of our work to see these awful crimes treated with the seriousness they deserve and perpetrators held to account.

Alongside these measures, AI will be deployed to support caseworkers to make swifter decisions on asylum claims – preventing asylum seekers from being stuck in limbo at the taxpayers’ expense, delivering quicker answers to those in need and removal of those with no right to be here.

Caseworkers will use AI to speed up access to the relevant country advice, and summarise lengthy interview transcripts, streamlining asylum processing without compromising on the quality of human decisions. The tech could save decision makers up to an hour per case.

As announced last month, alongside these critical measures to reform the asylum system, the government will also table an amendment to the bill which requires companies hiring people in the gig economy to carry out checks confirming that anyone working in their name is eligible to work in the UK, bringing them in line with other employers.

These vital checks confirm someone’s immigration status and allow them to legally work in the UK, meaning that for the very first time, employment checks will be extended to cover businesses hiring gig economy and zero-hours workers in sectors like construction, food delivery, beauty salons and courier services.

In addition to these measures, the landmark Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill will empower law enforcement to intervene faster and more effectively, using counterterror-style powers to disrupt the people-smuggling gangs and placing restrictions on foreign offenders living in the community, including mandatory electronic tags, strict night-time curfews and enforced exclusion zones while awaiting removal.

Further background

The measures are to be tabled ahead of report stage of the landmark Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill in the House of Commons.

Foreign sex offenders

Under the UK Borders Act 2007, a deportation order must be made where a foreign national has been convicted of an offence and received a custodial sentence of at least 12 months. This is subject to several exceptions, including where it would breach UK’s obligations under the Refugee Convention.

However, the Refugee Convention allows protection to be denied to those who, having been convicted of a ‘particularly serious crime’, constitute a danger to the community in the UK. The proposed amendment will create a presumption that individuals convicted of sexual offences making them subject to notification requirements will be denied this protection. This does not alter the long-standing principle that all claims must be considered on a case-by-case basis, to ensure they meet the criteria regarding the seriousness of the crime, and the danger posed to the community

Supported accommodation and foreign national offender appeals

Under the new proposals, the first-tier Tribunal of the Immigration and Asylum Chamber will be required to determine an asylum appeal lodged by a person receiving accommodation support, or from a non-detained foreign national offender within 24 weeks where it is reasonably practicable to do so. The latest published statistics show appeals to the tribunal take on average nearly 50 weeks to process.

Currently, there is no set timeframe for the courts to consider these cases. Speeding up these appeals will help keep people moving through the asylum system rather than get stuck in accommodation at a cost to the taxpayer and speed up foreign offender deportations. This will assist with ending the use of hotels as asylum accommodation and facilitate swifter deportations.

Just last month (March 2025), the government also announced more funding to boost the number of days the first-tier and upper-tier tribunals (of the Immigration and Asylum Chamber) can sit at near maximum capacity, helping to speed up decision-making and keep the system moving.

Immigration advice

Providing immigration advice without being registered with the IAA or a recognised legal regulatory body is a criminal offence which can lead to jail time, and the new amendments to the Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill will give the IAA stronger powers to pursue those who breach those rules.

The IAA is the only regulatory watchdog that can investigate and prosecute those pretending to be immigration lawyers or qualified advisers without any authority to do so. These sham lawyers could be acting as middlemen for those trying to abuse the immigration system in a bid to stay in the UK or trying to cash in on people’s desperation providing poor quality or outright fraudulent immigration advice.

Illegal working

The government previously announced it will strengthen illegal working checks in a new amendment as set out on GOV.UK.

On wider government AI work

This new tool follows the Prime Minister setting out that he will ‘push forward with the digitisation of government services’ to find £45 billion worth of productivity savings, as the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology sets out how it will put AI and technology to work across public services.

The press release issued by the Home Office on 27 April 2025.

The list of local authorities Serco shared on its website for landlords is not a Home Office list and is not a list of existing or future asylum accommodation.

A Home Office spokesperson said:

The list of local authorities Serco shared on its website for landlords is not a Home Office list, nor is it a list of any existing or future asylum accommodation.

Serco is one of several companies contracted by the previous government 6 years ago to provide dispersal asylum accommodation in different regions and this list simply appears to reflect the geographical list of local authorities covered by the Serco contracts at that time.

We are restoring order to the asylum system and cutting costs to taxpayers by reducing the number of people we are required to accommodate through a rapid increase in asylum decision-making and the removal of more than 24,000 people with no right to be in the UK.

Background information:

• we have no role in Serco communications and understand the page has now been removed
• the Home Office has a statutory obligation under the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 to ensure asylum seekers are not left destitute while their claims are processed

The press release issued by the Home Office on 27 April 2025.

People illegally posing as immigration lawyers and advisers will face fines of up to £15,000 through new measures in the Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill.

Fake immigration lawyers offering rogue ‘advice’ to migrants on how to lodge fraudulent asylum claims will be weeded out through tough new powers in the government’s milestone Border Security, Asylum, and Immigration Bill.

Currently, giving immigration advice without proper registration with the Immigration Advice Authority (IAA), or recognised legal regulatory body, is a criminal offence which can lead to jail time, but the IAA will be given new powers to also hit these fraudulent firms and individuals posing as immigration advisers with fines of up to £15,000.

Growing evidence has shown how these fake lawyers are acting as middlemen for those trying to abuse the immigration system in a bid to stay in the UK, or trying to cash in on people’s desperation, providing poor quality or outright fraudulent immigration advice.

The new laws will also close a loophole that allows someone currently banned from giving immigration advice to continue giving advice under “supervision” – ensuring people banned from providing immigration advice cannot set up shop elsewhere.

The crackdown on fake immigration advisers is part of this government’s action to create an asylum system where the rules are respected and strictly enforced. It builds on a surge in illegal working enforcement activity and targets those exploiting vulnerable migrants who undermine the security of our immigration system.

These changes will be tabled as amendments to the Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill, which will tackle criminality across the spectrum by empowering law enforcement with counter-terror style powers to go after vile people smuggling gangs who continue to put lives at risk for cash.

Minister for Border Security, Dame Angela Eagle, said:

Shameless individuals offering immigration advice completely illegally must be held to account.

That is why we are introducing these tough financial penalties for rogue firms and advisers, better protecting the integrity of our immigration system as well as vulnerable people in genuine need of advice, as we restore order to our asylum system through the Plan for Change.

This will build on the vital work of the Immigration Advice Authority in regulating the immigration advice sector.

These fake lawyers and advisers are finding new ways to target victims. The IAA has found cases where individuals are using social media to trick people. For example, a case in October 2024 saw Sukhwinder Singh Kang sentenced at Southwark Crown Court after posing as a registered Level 3 immigration adviser with fake qualifications.

Kang targeted people using Facebook support groups for migration advice, despite having little to no immigration knowledge. He claimed he could sort visa applications with his ‘special access’ to the Home Office, scamming his victims out of thousands of pounds in advance fees and taking personal identity documents. Kang even went so far as to set up weekly payments, make up fictional staff that were supposedly handling these applications and give out a fake professional premises address.

When each of the victims realised that their applications were going nowhere, Kang gave a range of excuses from family emergencies to delivery issues and offered full refunds that never arrived.

The Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill will give the IAA brand new powers to hold their registered advisers and organisations to account.

Similar to legal regulators, the watchdog will be able to immediately suspend advisers suspected of carrying out the most flagrant abuse of the immigration system or harming vulnerable people seeking advice. These faster and earlier interventions aim to stop rogue advisers in their tracks.

The IAA will also be able to compel former advisers to take part in complaint investigations about their past conduct if they are no longer registered. This move will prevent rogue operators from attempting to avoid investigation through simply leaving their role.

These powers will bolster work already taking place by the Home Office’s expert Professional Enabler Disruptions team (PED) which helps root out this sort of criminality. For example, in November 2024, the team uncovered a London-based rogue lawyer was directly submitting hundreds of immigration applications with zero knowledge of the law firm that was meant to be ‘supervising’ them. These applications were bound to fail, wasting caseworkers’ time, and impacting people’s legitimate applications. Thanks to PED’s work, legal regulatory bodies have now launched an investigation.