UK’s Home Secretary, Yvette Cooper, is due to announce new rules for people granted asylum in the Kingdom who want to bring family members to join them.
She will also outline a series of changes to the asylum appeals process and measures directed at reducing the use of hotels for housing asylum seekers.
BBC cited that Cooper will present the plans as Parliament resumes this week. The proposals are expected to include stricter English language requirements for family members and evidence that the sponsor can support them financially. The government says these changes are intended to align the UK with other European countries.
New Conditions for Family Reunification
Currently, people granted asylum in the UK can apply to bring close family members, such as a spouse or children, to live with them. Under the proposed changes, applicants will need to meet new language standards and show they have enough funds to support their relatives without government assistance.
Cooper is also expected to argue that policy changes in other European countries have led to differences in how family reunification is handled, which the UK now aims to address.
Reforms to the Asylum Appeals System
Reports inform that alongside changes to family reunification, the government plans to introduce a new appeals process. This will involve an independent body that will prioritise certain cases, including those related to asylum accommodation and foreign national offenders. The goal is to complete these cases within 24 weeks.
A fast-track appeal system is also being introduced to reduce delays in decision-making.
Focus on Illegal Channel Crossings and Smuggling
The Home Secretary will further highlight efforts by the National Crime Agency (NCA) to disrupt human smuggling networks. In 2024–25, the agency disrupted 347 smuggling groups, a 40% increase from the previous year, according to government figures.
So far in 2025, over 28,000 migrants have crossed the English Channel in small boats. Since the Labour government took office in July 2024, more than 50,000 people have crossed. Although August saw fewer boats than in previous years, the number of people per vessel has increased, with an average of 65 individuals on board.
Housing and Use of Hotels for Asylum Seekers
The government has committed to ending the use of hotels to house asylum seekers by the end of this Parliament. Recently, the Court of Appeal lifted an injunction that had blocked the Home Office from using the Bell Hotel in Epping for this purpose.
Epping Forest District Council will decide whether to challenge this ruling in the Supreme Court. Some councils are still seeking legal options to prevent hotels in their areas from being used to accommodate asylum seekers.
Protests and counter-protests have continued in several towns and cities over the housing of migrants in hotels, including Epping, Gloucester, Norwich, and others.
Political Reactions
Conservative shadow home secretary Chris Philp criticised the planned changes. He told BBC Breakfast: “This is a tiny tweak that will make very little difference.”
He added that those who arrive illegally should not be allowed to bring family members and should be removed from the UK.
Reform UK said the Labour government has failed to reduce Channel crossings and announced plans to deport over 600,000 illegal migrants if elected. The party also called for the UK to leave the ECHR.
Cooper will also give an update on a UK-France agreement under which some migrants who arrived by boat will be returned to France under an 11-month pilot scheme. The first deportations are expected to begin in the coming weeks.
