The New Plan for Immigration and the risks of extending Temporary Protection Status
One strategy in the New Plan for Immigration to combat ‘illegal entries’ is to offer a ‘new temporary protection status’ for refugees who arrived in the UK without visas, typically by lorry or boat. These refugees, provided they ‘reasonably could have claimed asylum in another safe country’, will be considered inadmissible. Until removal is possible, a refugee will be granted permission to remain for a period no longer than 30 months, after which he or she will be reassessed for return to the country of origin or removal to a third state. Family reunification rights and access to public support will be limited.
This blog post explains the broader context in which the temporary protection status proposed in the New Plan developed. It looks at consequences for refugees, with lessons drawn from from Australia. Finally, it highlights how the Plan's spatial and temporal bordering strategies violate the UK's obligations under the Refugee Convention and the Gobal Compact on Refugees.
