Portsmouth South MP Stephen Morgan has welcomed the government’s decision to reopen the UK Resettlement Scheme for new referrals.
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood announced that around a quarter of referrals under the scheme are expected to be Afghan women and girls and Palestinian refugees fleeing war and persecution.
The Home Office says the scheme will operate in partnership with the United Nations Refugee Agency and the International Refugee Assistance Project, which will identify and refer refugees through established processes.
Referrals have reopened immediately, with the first arrivals expected before the end of 2026.
The government has also announced three additional safe and legal routes involving community, student and work sponsorship.
Charities and non-profit organisations will be able to apply from October to take part in community and student sponsorship schemes, with the first arrivals expected in autumn 2027.
Applications for a work sponsorship route are due to open in spring 2027, with participating companies expected to provide accommodation, integration support and help finding employment.
The government says arrivals across the UK Resettlement Scheme and the three new routes will initially number in the hundreds, before potentially increasing into the low thousands. An annual cap will be set.
People arriving through the routes will be placed on a five-year pathway towards permanent settlement.
Stephen Morgan, Labour MP for Portsmouth South, said the announcement showed the government was seeking to combine tighter immigration controls with safe and legal refugee routes.
He said: “With this announcement, the Government continues to restore control and compassion to the immigration system.
“British people have not given up on their belief that we should be compassionate, live up to our international obligations, and save the lives of those fleeing war and persecution.
“By capping and controlling this process, Labour is unlocking the inherent generosity of this country.”
The government says the policy forms part of its wider approach to immigration and asylum.
Home Office figures published alongside the announcement say more than 48,000 attempted small boat crossings have been prevented since the general election, while more than 80,000 people with no right to remain in the UK have been removed since July 2024.
Those figures and the government’s characterisation of its immigration record form part of its case for expanding controlled legal routes for refugees.
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