Government to grant asylum seekers in the country a clear pathway to citizenship

The UK is a signatory to the 1951 Refugee Convention and its 1967 Protocol, which explicitly prohibit penalizing refugees for their mode of entry. Article 31 states that refugees should not be punished for illegal entry if they are coming directly from a place of persecution and present themselves without delay. The proposed amendment contradicts this obligation, as it effectively criminalizes those seeking asylum based on how they arrive.

Additionally, the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), to which the UK remains a party, protects the right to asylum and prohibits refoulement (returning individuals to places where they face persecution or harm).