Rafiya Saad From London— The British government is set to introduce a sweeping and stringent new immigration policy that could require recognized asylum seekers to pay nearly £10,000 (approximately BDT 16.3 lakh) to cover the costs of their state-funded accommodation and food.
Under the proposed framework, failure to clear this financial obligation will block refugees from obtaining permanent residency, known as Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR), in the United Kingdom.
The Home Office confirmed that the proposal will be formally presented to the British Parliament on Tuesday.
This unprecedented income-based repayment system is embedded within the newly drafted ‘Immigration and Asylum Bill.’
While government officials have drawn parallels between this scheme and the existing student loan repayment system, the move has ignited fierce backlash from human rights organizations and refugee support networks.
Critics argue that the policy imposes an unjust and draconian financial burden on vulnerable individuals fleeing war, torture, and famine.
Immigration and economic experts have also raised doubts about the financial viability of the project, suggesting that the revenue generated for the state would be minimal.
Data from 2023 reveals that five years after gaining refugee status, only 13 percent of refugees earned an annual income of £20,000 or more.
This stands in stark contrast to the UK’s current National Living Wage, which is approximately £25,000 per year, indicating that the vast majority of refugees remain in low-income brackets.
Defending the legislative changes, British Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood stated that while the state has a fundamental duty to support asylum seekers, the recipients also share a responsibility to contribute back once they are capable of earning.
“Those who become financially capable will be expected to make this contribution as a fair return for the support provided by the British public,” Mahmood said.
According to the Home Office, the baseline repayment amount is set at £10,000, though the Home Secretary will retain discretionary powers to adjust this figure as necessary.
Madeline Sumption, Director of the Migration Observatory at the University of Oxford, warned that unless the income threshold for repayments is set low, only a fraction of refugees would ever qualify to pay.
Sumption noted that instead of boosting state revenue, the policy could backfire by disincentivizing refugees from entering the formal workforce or driving them to bypass state accommodation entirely to avoid future debt.
Beyond the repayment scheme, the comprehensive bill introduces strict new guidelines on how Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) will apply to immigration and deportation cases.
The legislation also seeks to tighten age-assessment procedures for migrants and amend specific provisions within modern slavery laws, marking a significant hardening of the UK’s wider border and asylum infrastructure.