Britain plans to tighten migration rules. Government preparing restrictions for refugees and new requirements for reunification of families

The United Kingdom is preparing to introduce stricter rules for refugees, following the Danish model, which is one of the strictest in Europe. It is planned to limit the possibilities of family reunification and tighten the conditions of stay in the country.

It was reported by The Guardian.

According to the publication, Interior Minister Shabana Mahmood intends to present updated immigration rules this month. In particular, it is a question of transferring key elements of the Danish system to British legislation, such as temporary asylum status, restrictions on the length of stay and more difficult conditions for family reunification.

Possible innovations include the requirement that both partners be over 24, not have received public assistance for three years, have financial guarantees and pass a language test.

"We want to build a system that is fair, controlled and does not encourage abuse," Mahmood said, commenting on the reform.

However, the proposed changes have drawn sharp criticism even among members of the ruling Labour Party. MP Clive Lewis said that "Denmark’s Social Democrats have gone down what I would call a hardcore approach to immigration. They’ve adopted many of the talking points of what we would call the far right." And MP Nadia Whittome listed a number of initiatives, including those on "parallel societies," "undeniably racist."

Nevertheless, some Labour members support the tightening of the policy. Jo White, the head of the party's group in the north of England, said: "If we don't act more decisively, we risk losing voter confidence and control of the agenda."

Mahmood also plans to extend the period after which refugees can obtain permanent residency from five to ten years.

Refugee Action, Save the Children and Oxfam have already criticized the initiative, calling it "performative politics that harms migrants" and urging the government to "focus on the real issues - housing, climate and healthcare."

The government promises to announce the final details of the reform in the near future. It is expected that the document will cause a large-scale political debate about the future of British immigration policy.

As a reminder, the Polish authorities have tightened the conditions for receiving aid by Ukrainians.