Refugees in the UK could be forced to leave the country after five years

TMP – 28/03/2017

– Refugees who apply to live permanently in Britain will be required to undergo an official review to see if it is safe for them to be sent back home, as part of a new policy by the Home Office.

The policy of reviewing whether all refugees still require protection five years after they first obtained asylum in Britain was announced on 9 March and is believed to take immediate effect.

The new Home Office instructions state that the new ‘safe return’ reviews will apply in all cases where a refugee applies to settle in Britain after they have completed the required probation period of five years’ limited leave.

The instruction says the refugee leave policy is primarily to provide protection and a period of limited leave to those who need it. But adds that the policy is “to ensure that safe return reviews are carried out so that protection is provided for as long as it is needed, but make clear that those who no longer need protection will need to apply to stay on another basis or leave the UK”.

More than 59,000 refugees who have been granted protection in Britain in the last five years will all now face now a safe country review.

A Home Office spokesperson said to the Guardian newspaper: “There has been no change in our policy. Since 2010, we have granted settlement to more than 100,000 refugees. However, we have never operated a policy of automatic settlement.”