Friday, March, 6 2026 - UK's Home Secretary, Shabana Mahmood has announced a new pilot scheme that will offer some migrant families up to £40,000 to voluntarily leave United Kingdom, as part of a broader overhaul of the country’s migration system.
Under the proposal, up to 150 migrants will be eligible to
receive £10,000 per person, including children, with a maximum payment of
£40,000 per family if they agree to leave Britain within seven days. Mahmood
said the increased incentive would be offered to failed asylum seekers and
argued the policy could reduce the cost of supporting migrants who remain in
the country.
“Failed asylum seekers will now be offered an increased
incentive payment of £10,000 per person, and up to a maximum of £40,000 per
family,” she said while outlining the reforms in Westminster. “To put that in
important context, today, a family of three asylum hotel accommodation costs up
to £158,000 per year.”
“Should these incentives prove effective, they will
represent a significant saving to the taxpayer.” She added that migrants who
refuse voluntary removal could face enforced deportation. “Where a voluntary
removal is refused, we will escalate to an enforced removal for those who can
be returned to their safe home country,” she said.
The announcement forms part of a wider migration crackdown
being introduced by the government of Keir Starmer. Mahmood said the reforms
aim to balance compassion with stronger border control measures. “At the same
time as showing generosity, we must wrest control over migration back from the
smugglers and restore order and control at our border,” she said.
The policy has already sparked debate within the governing
Labour Party, with more than 100 Labour MPs reportedly signing a letter urging
the prime minister to reconsider parts of the migration crackdown.
Mahmood acknowledged the tensions within the party but
defended the reforms. “Of course, we should be more Labour. The real question
is, what does more Labour mean,” she said. “More Labour doesn’t mean more
Green, just like more Labour doesn’t mean more Reform.” She also criticised
proposals from other political figures, referencing Zack Polanski and Nigel
Farage.
“They are no invitation to the fairy tale of open borders as
Zack Polanski’s revolutionary Green Party demands, and neither are they the
nightmare of Nigel Farage pulling up the drawbridge and shutting out the
world,” Mahmood said.
Alongside the voluntary return payments, the new migration
rules include stricter settlement requirements. Migrants seeking permanent
residency will need to demonstrate English language proficiency at A-level
standard, while the typical pathway to settlement will increase from five years
to ten years under a proposed “earned settlement model.”
Refugees granted protection will no longer automatically
receive long-term status but will instead be placed on temporary 30-month
protection visas subject to periodic review.
Under the policy, asylum seekers who commit crimes, work
illegally or are able to support themselves may lose access to taxpayer-funded
accommodation and financial support. Officials said the measures are intended
to reduce the country’s £4 billion annual asylum support bill while restoring
what Mahmood described as “order and control” at Britain’s borders.
Some of the more controversial changes are expected to be
introduced through legislation in the upcoming King’s Speech in May, with
skilled public service workers such as doctors and nurses expected to retain a
faster five-year pathway to settlement.
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