Immigration and Asylum Bill: what it would change

Where the bill is in Parliament

The Immigration and Asylum Bill is a Government Bill in the 2026-27 session of Parliament, sponsored by the Home Office, according to the UK Parliament bill page. It was introduced in the House of Commons on 30 June 2026, according to GOV.UK. The long title is: A Bill to Make provision about immigration, asylum and modern slavery; and for connected purposes.

The Home Office says the bill passed its second reading in the House of Commons in July with a majority of 174. On 12 October 2026 the Home Office said the bill enters line-by-line scrutiny the following week. The measures are proposals in a bill before Parliament and are not yet law. The Home Office has given no commencement dates. Commons stages for a bill are first reading, second reading, committee stage, report stage and third reading, after which a Commons bill goes to the House of Lords. The Home Office says the bill delivers reforms announced in its Restoring Order and Control statement of November 2025. Most of the bill, covering reserved immigration and asylum matters, would apply UK-wide. Amendments to the Modern Slavery Act 2015 would largely apply to England and Wales, according to the Home Office.

A new appeals body

The bill would create a new Independent Immigration Appeals Authority (IIAA), described by the Home Office as consisting of professionally trained and independently appointed adjudicators. The Home Office says the IIAA would prioritise appeals in the public interest, including high harm foreign offenders and human rights claims that are clearly without merit.

The bill would introduce a single appeal route: claimants would have to raise all relevant matters up front, and if unsuccessful could only seek permission to appeal to the Upper Tribunal on a point of law, according to the Home Office. The Home Office says that as of June 2026 there were around 156,000 outstanding immigration and asylum appeals, 90,000 of them asylum appeals, the highest level on record. The Home Office says the appeals backlog was 30,000 in June 2023. The Home Office says the mean time to clear appeals across all categories is 65 weeks, 13 weeks longer than a year earlier. The Home Office says around 61,000 new asylum appeals were lodged in the year ending June 2026, compared with around 31,000 decided.

Article 8 and family life

The bill would define how Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights, the right to respect for private and family life, applies in immigration decisions, which the Home Office says is in line with Strasbourg case law. The bill already defines family life as typically restricted to core, co-habiting family relationships, according to the Home Office.

On 12 October 2026 the government tabled 2 amendments to the bill. Under them, courts would have to consider how long and how often a parent has been in contact with their child when deciding whether family life exists. The Home Office says the amendments aim to stop people strengthening Article 8 claims by moving back into a family home shortly before making a claim. Under the proposals, a claim made at the last minute without good reason could damage the claimant's credibility, and decision-makers would have to consider when evidence was submitted. The bill already includes an expedited decision process for late claims, according to the Home Office. Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said: 'The British public must trust that their immigration system is secure, controlled and not open to abuse.'

One form of protection

The bill would replace the separate refugee status and humanitarian protection framework with a single protection decision and a single protection status, called core protection, according to the Home Office. The Home Office says core protection would apply to anyone who meets the Refugee Convention criteria or would face serious harm if returned to their home country. The bill would remove the right to bring upgrade appeals, according to the Home Office.

The Home Office says: 'We will never remove anyone to a country where they will be at risk of serious harm.' The Home Office factsheet does not set out how long core protection leave would last or the route to settlement. In the year ending June 2026 there were 37,003 grants of refugee status and 3,490 grants of humanitarian protection, according to the Home Office. The Home Office says 86,000 people claimed asylum in the UK in the year ending June 2026.

Paying towards asylum support

The bill would require adults who receive asylum support under sections 4 and 95 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 to contribute to the cost of their support once they are financially able to do so, through a flat charge, according to the Home Office. Children and victims of modern slavery would be exempt, according to the Home Office. Other exemptions would be set out in secondary legislation.

The Home Office says thresholds will not be set at a level that may cause destitution. The thresholds, repayment rates and delivery model would be set in secondary legislation, and no amounts have been published. The bill includes a power for HMRC to recover these costs through the tax system, according to the Home Office. The Home Office says 93,293 people were receiving asylum support at the end of June 2026, compared with 42,651 on 30 June 2016, and that 4 billion pounds was spent on asylum support in 2024/25.

Modern slavery changes

The bill would reform the modern slavery framework, add provisions to identify and support children, increase reporting expectations on businesses about modern slavery in supply chains, and strengthen enforcement powers, according to the Home Office. The Home Office says that as of 30 September 2026, 6,277 modern slavery cases were awaiting a conclusive grounds decision, down 80% from a peak of 31,101 in 2023.

What happens next

After committee stage, the bill would move to report stage and third reading in the House of Commons, after which a Commons bill goes to the House of Lords.

Details including exemptions from asylum support contributions, thresholds, repayment rates and the delivery model would be set in secondary legislation, according to the Home Office.

Source: UK Parliament: Immigration and Asylum Bill.

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Frequently asked questions

Is the Immigration and Asylum Bill law?

No. The measures are proposals in a bill before Parliament and are not yet law. The Home Office has given no commencement dates.

What would the Independent Immigration Appeals Authority do?

The bill would create a new Independent Immigration Appeals Authority (IIAA), described by the Home Office as consisting of professionally trained and independently appointed adjudicators. The Home Office says the IIAA would prioritise appeals in the public interest, including high harm foreign offenders and human rights claims that are clearly without merit.

How many immigration and asylum appeals were outstanding in June 2026?

The Home Office says that as of June 2026 there were around 156,000 outstanding immigration and asylum appeals, 90,000 of them asylum appeals, the highest level on record.

What would core protection replace?

The bill would replace the separate refugee status and humanitarian protection framework with a single protection decision and a single protection status, called core protection, according to the Home Office.

Who would have to contribute to asylum support costs?

The bill would require adults who receive asylum support under sections 4 and 95 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 to contribute to the cost of their support once they are financially able to do so, through a flat charge, according to the Home Office. Children and victims of modern slavery would be exempt, according to the Home Office. Other exemptions would be set out in secondary legislation.