Mahmoud seeks Canada-style asylum sponsorship route into UK

Key developments are emerging from the global stage. Mahmoud seeks Canada-style asylum sponsorship route into UKImage source, PA MediaBySean SeddonPublished27 June 2026, 00:43 BSTUpdated 3 minutes agoThe Home Office is to introduce new "capped safe and legal" routes for asylum seekers to arrive in the UK later this year. The department said it would allow organisations like universities, community groups and businesses to sponsor refugees who applied to come to the UK, a model based on Canada's asylum system. Alongside the new asylum route, the government said it would press ahead with changes to how human rights and modern slavery laws are applied to asylum applications, which the government says will root out "vexatious" claims.

In response, the Conservatives said no extra people should be let into the country until illegal immigration was stopped. Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said 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.

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"But this system only survives if the public trusts that it is fair, controlled, and not open to abuse. "The announcement came as the home secretary prepared to put an immigration bill before the Commons, elements of which could be opposed by some Labour MPs. The UK already has a relatively small number of refugees who are sponsored in communities under the UK Resettlement Scheme (UKRS) but the Home Office said the "vast majority" of refugees were supported by local councils.

The government has been under pressure to reduce the number of people being housed in hotels at the taxpayers' expense, while illegal small boat arrivals have also undermined public confidence in the asylum system. The new routes would allow a wider number of organisations to support those who arrive, including "trusted universities". A refugee work route is expected to open next year, allowing employers to sponsor refugees, the Home Office said.

Applications for the university route will open later this year, with the first arrivals due to take place in 2027. The government did not say how many people would be allowed to arrive under the new routes, but said it would be capped and start from a low base - and would "operate at a much higher capacity" than UKRS once it is fully established. It also said the Home Office would control which organisations could sponsor an asylum seeker, and that all applicants would be subject to strict checks.

Conservative shadow home secretary Chris Philp said that until illegal migration was at zero, "we shouldn't be shipping any extra people in at all on 'humanitarian grounds'". He said the measures "won't stop the boats" and accused Labour of supporting "open borders". At the same time as opening up new routes to the UK for asylum seekers, the Home Office said it would clamp down on bogus claims.

The story has become one of the most prominent items on the global agenda.