‘Race to the bottom’: UK’s new hardline asylum rules inspired by Denmark

Britain said this month it will no longer offer refugees permanent protection and will make it harder for them to bring family into the country as part of sweeping reforms in response to mounting pressure on the government over record migration.

The hardline measures are similar to rules introduced by Denmark in 2015 when millions of migrants, mostly Syrians fleeing civil war, arrived in Europe seeking safety.

These days, Denmark receives among the least amount of asylum applications in the European Union, according to Eurostat.

Like Denmark, refugees in Britain will now need to renew their visas every few years, costing taxpayers about 1.27 billion pounds ($1.66 billion) for additional administrative work, according to Britain's Refugee Council, an NGO.

Refugees will also need to wait 20 years before they can apply to settle in Britain, a jump from the current five years, and could be returned to their home country if it is deemed safe. Britain has said it will also speed up the removal of applicants who fail to gain asylum.

Eva Singer, director of asylum for the Danish Refugee Council, spoke to Context about the effects of Denmark’s tough policies on refugees.

What are some of the consequences of Denmark’s asylum policies?

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