Government confirms new refugee sponsorship routes and Article 8 changes ahead of Immigration and Asylum Bill’s publication

Ahead of the publication of Immigration and Asylum Bill first announced last month in the King's Speech, the Government has today provided further details of the Bill in a press release. The Bill is expected to be introduced to Parliament later this afternoon.

Among the Bill's measures is the creation of new community sponsorship schemes for refugees. From autumn 2026, organisations will be able to apply to sponsor refugees under a model inspired by Canada's resettlement programme. The first arrivals under the scheme are expected in autumn 2027. Numbers will be "start small at first but build over time," the Home Office said.

The Government plans to introduce a university sponsorship route allowing approved higher education institutions to sponsor refugees to come to study in the UK. A separate work-based sponsorship route is expected to open in 2027.

The Home Office says this sponsorship model will "form the future of safe and legal routes" to the UK.

Refugee status for those using the new routes will be determined in partnership with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). All arrivals will be subject to biometric, criminality and health checks.

Alongside the expansion of safe and legal routes, the Bill proposes changes to the application of Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), which protects the right to private and family life.

The Government confirmed today that it will legislate to define "family" more narrowly for immigration purposes, generally limiting the definition to immediate family members such as spouses, parents and children under 18, except in exceptional circumstances. A higher threshold for foreign national offenders seeking to rely on Article 8 will be introduced, to ensure deportation can only be blocked in the most exceptional circumstances.

A change will be made to entry clearance applications which rely on Article 8 applications, meaning they will now also have to be made in-country by the UK-based sponsor and not by the overseas family member. The Home Office says this will see decisions focus on the rights of those within the UK.

The Bill will introduce significant changes to the modern slavery framework. These include extending the provision of independent child trafficking guardians, strengthening civil prevention orders, and increasing obligations on businesses and public bodies to identify exploitation within supply chains, with potential financial penalties of up to £1 million for non-compliance.

In addition, the Government proposes measures intended to reduce what it calls the "misuse" of the modern slavery system. These include removing modern slavery protections from all foreign nationals who have received a custodial sentence, allowing claims supported by false documentation to be rejected, and permitting late claims made after removal action has begun to be refused where there was an earlier opportunity to raise them, unless there is a valid reason.

According to the Government, new Home Office data from a sample of charter removal flights operated last year showed that 76% of modern slavery claims made by individuals due to be removed were submitted in the hours before departure.

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood was quoted as saying: "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. 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."

News media, including BBC News, further reported that the Bill proposes to require refugees to pay back around £10,000 towards the cost of their accommodation and support once they start earning. The Refugee Council told the BBC that the measure was unfair and impractical and would make it "harder for families to rebuild their lives and stand on their own feet".