Morning, Thursday, 5th March 2026
Online
This conference will examine next steps for the UK asylum system.
It will bring stakeholders and policymakers together to discuss the way forward for reforms to the asylum process, following the Home Secretary announcing proposals for a system that would shift away from automatic, permanent protection towards more a conditional and time-limited status.
Governance & practicalities
Attendees will consider the planned creation of a new independent body to process asylum appeals, how its role will sit alongside wider reforms to the First-tier Tribunal, and what may be required in practice if accelerated timelines for considering appeals are to be achieved while maintaining effective oversight.
Rights & Indefinite Leave to Remain
Sessions will bring out latest thinking on proposals for those granted asylum no longer routinely receiving settlement and family reunion rights, 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, for local services, and for the stability of routes from temporary to longer-term residence.
System efficiency
The agenda will assess practical options for speeding up initial asylum decisions and reducing appeals backlogs, including implementation in a way that can achieve aims for increased capacity, reduced delays, and speedier returns where claims are refused. Attendees will look at issues around fairness, and alignment with the UK’s human rights and international obligations.
Establishment of the new appeals body will also be discussed, including questions of independence, transparency and appropriate safeguards, as well as political, judicial and devolved considerations.
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 accommodation by 2029 and the allocation of £200m in the Spending Review 2025 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 concern, including how the relocation process can be made more predictable and how pressures on local housing, resettlement and integration capacity can be 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 2025 Spending Review £200m transformation funding
- 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 - establishing the new independent appeals body and ensuring independence - priorities for the new body
- aligning reforms with changes to the First‑tier Tribunal and proposed timelines for appeals linked to asylum accommodation support and foreign offender cases
- removals and detention: acceleration of returns where claims are refused - identifying requirements for necessary detention capacity - appropriate safeguards and 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 proposed stricter conditions for ILR - developing a contribution‑based model - access to employment, education and community integration
- accommodation: strategy for ending hotel use by 2029 - workable alternative accommodation - improving contract oversight and reducing costs - addressing funding pressures for local authorities
- local delivery: coordination of national and local responsibilities - managing dispersal and procurement transparency - ensuring local funding aligns with expected delivery roles
