The United Kingdom has made changes to its asylum policy under which those who fail to obtain political asylum will be removed from the country immediately.

The UK has reduced the duration of political asylum from five years to 30 months, and the waiting period for permanent residency has been increased from five years to 20 years.

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood announced fundamental reforms to the asylum system during her address to Parliament.

She said that asylum seekers will be granted temporary permission to stay in the UK; however, their status will now be reviewed after two and a half years instead of five. If their home country is deemed safe, the individual will be returned.

She stated that asylum applicants will only be allowed to submit one appeal, and if it is rejected, they will be deported.

Under the new rules, the right to family life will only apply to those living with close relatives. There will no longer be guaranteed housing or weekly allowances for asylum seekers, and those seeking political asylum will now have to wait 20 years to obtain permanent residency in the UK.

It is worth noting that over the past four years, 400,000 people have sought asylum in the United Kingdom.