World Immigration News

Sex offenders to be denied asylum rights in new law

Release Date: 2025-04-29
Media: BBC
Summary: The UK government has announced that asylum seekers convicted of sexual offences will no longer be allowed to stay in the country, regardless of the sentence length. This expands existing rules that already bar terrorists and serious criminals from asylum. The change, introduced as an amendment to the Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill, follows high-profile cases like that of Abdul Ezedi, a convicted sex offender who was granted asylum and later committed a violent attack.

The amendment also sets a 24-week deadline for appeal decisions for foreign offenders and asylum seekers in government-funded accommodation, aiming to reduce backlogs and reliance on costly asylum hotels. The Home Office plans to use AI to speed up processing, but legal groups warn it could lead to flawed decisions.

Additional measures include harsher penalties for fraudulent immigration advice, electronic tagging, curfews, and exclusion zones for foreign offenders. While some, like the Refugee Council, support faster processing, concerns remain about AI reliability and the practicality of the 24-week goal. Opposition Conservatives criticize the reforms as insufficient and delayed, blaming Labour for opposing tougher measures they had proposed earlier.
Tags: UK

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