6 things Parliament can get right on the Immigration and Asylum Bill

The Immigration and Asylum Bill promises a faster asylum system. But faster for whom—and at what cost?

The Public Bill Committee began scrutinising the Bill on 10 September 2026 and is expected to report by 5pm on 3 November 2026. We’ve made sure Wales’ voice is part of that process by sharing our concerns directly with the Committee.

For 36 years, we’ve worked alongside people seeking sanctuary as they navigate the asylum system and rebuild their lives in Wales. What we see every day has shaped the evidence we’ve given Parliament.

We want an asylum system that is faster, clearer and more sustainable. But faster must also mean fairer.

Our biggest concern is that parts of this Bill could simply move pressure from one part of the system to another. Westminster might make the policy, but Wales could be left dealing with the consequences.

Here are six things Parliament needs to get right.

1. Faster decisions must be fair decisions

Long waits help nobody.

But faster decisions will only work if people can access legal advice, understand what is happening and provide the evidence needed for their case. That is particularly difficult in Wales, where specialist legal advice is severely limited. The Bevan Foundation has described Wales as a legal “advice desert” for immigration and asylum cases.

Its latest mapping found that immigration legal aid provision in Wales met only around 16% of estimated need in 2024–25. The number of immigration legal aid cases opened has also fallen by 82% since 2010–11.

This leaves people making life-changing decisions without the advice they need to understand their options and the risks involved. Getting a decision wrong quickly is not efficient. It leads to appeals, longer periods of uncertainty and greater costs later.

We need early and accurate decisions—not speed at any price.

2. Protection should provide stability—not another countdown

We’re concerned about proposals to give people granted Core Protection just 30 months of temporary protection, with their need for safety potentially reviewed again and again.

Imagine trying to plan your education, career, home or family life while a clock ticks down on your right to stay.

Our experience tells us something simple: stability enables integration. When people have certainty, they can learn English or Welsh, develop skills, find work, secure a home and put down roots in their community.

Protection should be the point where rebuilding begins—not the start of another cycle of uncertainty.

3. Asylum support is not a tab to settle later

Asylum support is not a loan. It provides the bare essentials to people who would otherwise face destitution while waiting for a decision.

When someone receives protection and begins working, their first wages matter. They may need to pay a rental deposit, cover their first month’s rent, buy household essentials or travel to work. Recovering asylum support as soon as someone starts earning would place another financial barrier in their way at exactly the moment they are trying to become independent.

If that pushes someone into debt, hardship or homelessness, the cost has not disappeared. It has simply landed somewhere else.

Moving costs from the Home Office to councils, public services or charities is not a saving. It is creative accounting with very real consequences.

4. Immigration decisions do not happen in a family-free vacuum

Immigration decisions rarely affect one person alone. They affect partners, children, carers and entire families.

The Bill must protect meaningful consideration of each family’s circumstances. Where children are affected, their best interests must remain a primary consideration.

If we genuinely want people to rebuild their lives and contribute to their communities, family stability cannot be treated as a nice extra. It is essential.

 5. Trauma does not work to a government deadline

Trafficking and exploitation aren’t always disclosed immediately.  Fear. Trauma. Shame. Coercion. Threats. 

All can affect when someone feels able to explain what has happened to them. Some survivors disclose their experiences gradually. Others may only understand that they’ve been exploited after building trust with someone supporting them.

Late disclosure is not the same as false disclosure. The Bill must not create a system where the effects of trauma are then used as a reason to doubt someone’s experience. Survivors should not be penalised for needing time to feel safe enough to speak.

 6. Wales cannot keep being treated as an afterthought

 Immigration policy is reserved. Many of its consequences are not. Housing. Homelessness. Health. Education. Safeguarding. Social services. 

These are devolved areas where decisions made in Westminster have very real consequences for Wales.

If immigration policy makes it harder for someone to work, study, find a home or become independent, Welsh services are left trying to overcome the barriers it created.

A saving to the Home Office is not necessarily a saving to the taxpayer.

That is why the effect on Wales must be assessed before these changes are introduced—not once the damage has been done.

This must include the potential impact on devolved services, responsibilities, funding and Wales’ Nation of Sanctuary approach. The UK Government must work properly with Welsh Government, local authorities and specialist organisations in Wales as the reforms are developed and implemented.

Because Westminster cannot design immigration policy in isolation and simply hope it works for Wales.

Wales deserves a seat at the table—not a bill for the consequences.

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