An annual cap on the number of refugees accepted in the UK will launch in January 2025, the Home Office has said.
Local authorities are being invited to set out their capacity to accommodate people coming to Britain via safe and legal routes, the department said.
The cap, for which the Government will look to get Parliament’s stamp of approval before launching in January 2025, would be subject to change each year.
It would not include the Ukraine visa schemes, Afghan relocation and assistance policy, Hong Kong British national (overseas) route or mandate scheme.
The measure was introduced in the Government’s flagship Illegal Migration Bill, which became law earlier this year.
Immigration minister Robert Jenrick said: “The unacceptable number of people making illegal, dangerous and wholly unnecessary small boat crossings is placing an immense strain on housing and services across the UK.
“As part of the Illegal Migration Act to stop the boats, we will bring in a cap on our safe and legal routes informed by the capacity of local authorities.
“This will ensure that we do not take more refugees than our public services and communities can cope with and that the refugees we do decide to take can be properly supported and integrated.”
