Keir Starmer has vowed to end the “golden ticket” of migrants granted asylum in the UK being allowed to settle in the country.
The prime minister said refugees would need to “earn” the right to live in the UK in future by showing that they can “contribute” to British society.
Asylum seekers would also no longer be allowed to automatically bring family members to Britain as the government tries to reduce the so-called “pull factors” which lead to them coming to the UK on small boats across the Channel.
The move is part of the government’s latest immigration crackdown as the prime minister tries to convince voters he will reduce the numbers coming to Britain and see off the threat of Reform UK.
Starmer, who will unveil the policy at a European Political Community (EPC) summit in Copenhagen on Thursday, said: “I believe that if you want to come to the UK, you should contribute to our society.
“That is the tolerant and fair approach to migration that our communities are built on, but the current system is not fit for purpose.
“That is why we’re making fundamental changes to what those granted asylum are afforded in the UK. Settlement must be earned by contributing to our country, not by paying a people smuggler to cross the channel in a boat.
“The UK will continue to play its role in welcoming genuine refugees fleeing persecution. But we must also address the pull factors driving dangerous and illegal small boats crossings. There will be no golden ticket to settling in the UK, people will have to earn it.”