UK to Reopen Legal Refugee Routes, Prioritising Afghan Women and Palestinians

The United Kingdom is preparing to reopen safe and legal routes for vulnerable refugees, with Afghan women and girls and Palestinians among those set to be prioritised. The move, expected to be announced by Interior Minister Shabana Mahmood, marks a shift in her approach to asylum policy.

The scheme is to reopen immediately and, alongside three previously announced community refugee sponsorship routes, is initially expected to welcome hundreds of applicants. The United Nations refugee agency and the International Refugee Assistance Project will identify eligible refugees.

Priority will go to vulnerable women and girls as well as people with disabilities. Immediate family members will be allowed to reunite under the scheme, though the provision will not extend to wider relatives, following an earlier government decision to tighten family reunification rules.

The programme had stopped accepting new referrals in December 2024, by which point only a small number of people were using it. Its reopening follows the closure of the Afghan resettlement scheme last year and the introduction of rules under which refugee status is subject to review for up to 20 years.

In remarks expected at the announcement, Mahmood is to say that fairness unites the country and that a fair society brings out the best in people. She is also expected to say that the British public has not abandoned its belief in compassion and in meeting international obligations to save those fleeing war and persecution, while stressing that the process must be capped and controlled and that communities must be ready to welcome arrivals.

Housing Secretary Angela Rayner, an influential figure within Labour, said in a newspaper interview last week that she was concerned about some of the planned changes because they "change the goalposts".

Immigration experts have suggested the number of people who will qualify under the scheme is too low to deter migrants crossing the English Channel in small boats from seeking asylum. The scheme is also likely to draw strong criticism from the right, as women, girls and people with disabilities are more likely to rely on state-provided welfare support.