Morning, Thursday, 5th March 2026
Online
This conference will examine next steps for the UK asylum system.
Bringing together stakeholders and policymakers, the agenda examines the way forward for reform to the asylum process, with the Home Secretary recently proposing a system that would shift away from automatic, permanent protection towards a more conditional and time-limited status.
With the Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Act having received royal assent in December 2025, it will be an opportunity to discuss key issues for proposed reform and how it interacts with border management, safeguarding rights and local delivery.
Policy proposals & implementation
Attendees will consider establishment and priorities for a proposed new independent body to process asylum appeals, including practical considerations for accelerated timelines for appeal deliberation, how the body might interact with wider reform to the First-tier Tribunal, priorities for independence and transparency, and what is needed for optimising delivery capabilities.
Sessions will address key issues surrounding the proposed move towards conditional and time‑limited protection, with a focus on risks of prolonged uncertainty for people with existing refugee status, and implications for integration and community stability.
The impact of proposals to narrow the application of certain human rights and modern slavery legislation will also be discussed, including implications for security and wellbeing, the risks this may pose for claimants with family ties or complex health needs, and how reinterpretation of the European Convention on Human Rights might work in practice.
Indefinite Leave to Remain
Sessions will bring out latest thinking on proposals to remove routine settlement and family reunion rights from those granted asylum moving forward, and for new requirements to be introduced for ILR.
Delegates will examine proposals to amend the standard qualifying period for ILR and develop a contribution-based model to support integration at a local level, as well as implications this may have for people with protection status, local services and community organisations, and the stability of routes from temporary to longer-term residence in the UK.
System efficiency, quality, fairness & rights
Options in the judiciary and tribunal services will be assessed, particularly for achieving increased capacity aims, fewer delays, and speedier returns where claims are refused. Delegates will discuss key issues in progressing towards efficiency targets without compromising quality assurance.
Discussion will consider how reform can align with the UK’s human rights and international obligations, looking at addressing stakeholder concerns over access to legal aid, transparency in detention and deportation, and whether efficiency measures and deterrence policies can be implemented without undermining fundamental rights.
The use of facial recognition technology in enforcement will also be discussed, including the way forward for ensuring privacy and mitigating the risk of discrimination, as well as support needed for claimants in navigating digital systems.
Asylum accommodation
Further sessions will focus on the future of accommodation, in light of the Government’s commitment to end the use of hotels for asylum seekers by 2029, with allocation of £200m in the 2025 Spending Review to support the transition.
Delegates will consider priorities for deployment of this funding, approaches to designing alternative accommodation arrangements that are workable for local authorities and communities, and practicalities of improving contract management where performance has been a main concern. This includes how the relocation process can be made more predictable and how pressures on local housing, resettlement and integration capacity can be better managed.
Overview of areas for discussion
- considerations for system reform:
- implementation of the Home Secretary’s proposed move to time‑limited protection - deployment of the £200m transformation funding set out in the 2025 Spending Review
- increasing the speed of Home Office decision‑making - balancing efficiency with fairness - supporting operational changes needed to accelerate permission‑to‑stay decisions
- implications of wider legislative and policy changes for the asylum system
- appeals process:
- reducing appeals backlogs - priorities for the new independent appeals body and ensuring independence
- aligning reform with changes to the First‑tier Tribunal and proposed timelines for appeals linked to asylum accommodation support and foreign offender cases
- removals and detention: accelerating returns where claims are refused - identifying requirements for necessary detention capacity - appropriate safeguards - responding to court challenges
- scrutiny and legal standards: assessing quality assurance in asylum decisions - access to legal aid - alignment with human rights obligations and domestic legal safeguards
- ILR and integration: implications of stricter conditions for ILR - developing a contribution‑based model - access to employment, education and community integration
- accommodation: strategy for ending hotel use by 2029 - alternative accommodation - improving contract oversight and reducing costs - addressing funding pressures faced by local authorities
- local delivery: coordination of national and local responsibilities - managing dispersal and procurement transparency - ensuring local funding aligns with expected delivery roles
All delegates will be able to contribute to the output of the conference, which will be shared with parliamentary, ministerial, departmental and regulatory offices, and more widely. This includes the full proceedings and additional articles submitted by delegates. As well as key stakeholders, those already due to attend include officials from the Department of Health and Social Care; Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government; National Audit Office; Office for National Statistics; Home Office; National Crime Agency; the Welsh Government; and The Scottish Government.
