Proposed changes could trap women in decades of uncertainty. Extending settlement from 5 to 20 years, with ‘safe reviews’ every 30 months, forces women into a cycle of instability and limbo. We know that short-term leave has a devastating impact on people’s mental health and makes it nearly impossible for people to find work, secure housing, or build community – leaving women isolated and at heightened risk of abuse, violence, and exploitation. And with a high number of women granted refugee status on appeal, we know the system often gets it wrong. These reviews aren’t about safety – they’re about control.  

Family reunion saves lives – especially for women and children. Over 92% of family reunion grants were to women and children*. Limiting these safe routes – making them almost impossible to access – leaves women with an impossible choice: stay in danger or risk deadly journeys to reunite with loved ones. Both options expose women to violence, trafficking, abuse and exploitation. Closing safe routes pushes women and children into harm’s way and creates layers of generational harm through forcibly keeping families apart.  

* Year to date 30 September 2025, immigration statistics.

Former barracks, prisons, and remote industrial sites are no place for people seeking safety here. Our research shows that women already face sexual harassment, coercion and abuse in asylum accommodation – often echoing the violence they have fled. Moving women to remote, large-scale sites like former prisons or disused airports will only deepen trauma and strip away access to vital support networks. People seeking safety need somewhere safe to call home, in our communities.  

Already, meagre asylum support and the ban on work leaves women seeking safety vulnerable to enforced poverty, destitution, abuse and exploitation. Our research found that some are forced into sex work or unable to leave abusive relationships – just to survive. Limiting access to vital financial support, by adding additional conditions and criteria, will deepen this crisis and expose women to further exploitation and harm.  

Most women seeking asylum here are survivors of sexual and gender-based violence. Too often, their needs and experiences are overlooked in a system designed predominantly for men. Yet proposed changes threaten to make this even more difficult for women to receive much-needed protection in the UK. Policies that penalise late claims or evidence ignore the reality: shame, stigma, and fear often delay disclosure for survivors of SGBV. These changes will silence survivors and deny them protection – creating a dangerous two-tier system where asylum-seeking survivors are treated as less-deserving.  

Declaring countries ‘manifestly safe’ ignores the truth: violence against women and girls is a pervasive epidemic. Rape, so-called ‘honour’ crimes, domestic abuse, sexual violence, female genital-cutting, forced marriage and other types of VAWG happen all around the world – even if a country is not experiencing war, conflict, widespread violence or political instability. It is extremely dangerous to imply a country can be safe for everyone. These blanket labels erase women’s unique experiences, create additional barriers to protection for survivors, and block access to refugee protection. If the Government is serious about tackling VAWG, it must include ALL survivors.  

The enforced removals of families with children will disproportionately harm women – who are often primary caregivers. Plans for ICE-style raids on our streets is deeply disturbing. Mothers and children could be seized from our schools, communities and public spaces, forced into harmful indefinite detention, and deported to countries they may have no ties to. This isn’t just cruel – it is a direct attack on dignity and safety.