UK to allow businesses, community groups, universities to sponsor refugees

The Home Office of the United Kingdom (UK) is set to introduce capped, safe, and legal routes for asylum seekers arriving in the UK later this year.

Under the new model, which is based on Canada’s asylum system, organisations such as universities, community groups, and businesses will be permitted to sponsor refugees applying to come to Britain.

The newly proposed routes will expand support responsibilities to a broader range of organisations, including “trusted universities.” Applications for the university-sponsored route will open later this year, with the first arrivals expected in 2027.

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A separate refugee work route is scheduled to open next year, allowing employers to sponsor refugees.

The government has not specified the exact number of people allowed to enter under these routes, but confirmed the scheme will be capped and will initially start from a low base.

Alongside these new routes, the government will press ahead with changes to how human rights and modern slavery laws apply to asylum applications. The government states these reforms will root out “vexatious” claims.

Shabana Mahmood, Home Secretary stated that the new system would protect “genuine refugees” while “closing loopholes that have been too often abused.”

She said “Britain has always offered sanctuary to those fleeing war and persecution. But this system only survives if the public trusts that it is fair, controlled, and not open to abuse.”

The announcement comes as the Home Secretary prepares to introduce the Immigration Bill to the House of Commons, where certain elements may face opposition from some Labour MPs.

While a small number of refugees are already sponsored within communities under the UK Resettlement Scheme (UKRS), the Home Office noted that the vast majority are currently supported by local councils.

The government has faced continuous pressure to reduce the use of hotels for housing asylum seekers at taxpayers’ expense, while illegal arrivals via small boats have further strained public confidence in the system.

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The government has not specified the exact number of people allowed to enter under these routes, but confirmed the scheme will be capped and will initially start from a low base.

 

The Home Office will maintain strict control over which organizations qualify as sponsors, and all applicants will undergo rigorous background checks.

Simultaneously, the department aims to crack down on unfounded claims. The government previously confirmed plans to reform how the right to a family life under the European Convention on Human Rights is applied, arguing that it is frequently used to appeal rejected applications unfairly.

Additionally, changes to the Modern Slavery Act will remove protection rights for any foreign national who has received a custodial sentence, or where there is evidence of forged documentation.

This latest policy announcement comes amid a public disagreement between the Home Secretary and Mike Tapp, Immigration Minister.

Tapp argued that foreign care workers should be exempt from the Home Secretary’s plans to alter visa rules for migrants already living in the UK.

Although Mahmood requested that Tapp be dismissed, UKs Prime Minister Starmer rejected the request.