Children born in Britain to parents without valid residence permits are set to face deportation under the new rules, a minister has confirmed.
Alex Norris, the Border Security and Asylum Minister, said that “anyone who does not have the right to be in the UK will be removed,” emphasising that the Government is preparing to intensify the removal of families whose asylum claims have been rejected.
In an interview with The Telegraph, Mr Norris also defended proposals for a substantial rise in payments offered to failed asylum seekers and foreign offenders who agree to return to their home countries voluntarily. The current £3,000 incentive could increase significantly, though he stressed it would not exceed £10,000. Denmark—whose model has shaped aspects of Labour’s reforms—offers between £5,000 and £24,000.
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Children born in UK will not be exempt
Asked directly whether children born in Britain to undocumented parents would be included in removals, Norris was unequivocal:
“Yes… in those circumstances, people will be removed.”
He said the Home Office wants removals to be “as voluntary and as seamless as possible,” particularly where children are involved, but insisted that families without legal immigration status would ultimately have to leave.
Norris was speaking as the new Campsfield Immigration Removal Centre (IRC) near Oxford accepted its first detainees on Thursday. The centre will initially accommodate 160 men, either foreign national offenders or failed asylum seekers—before expanding to 400 places in its second phase.
The added capacity brings the UK’s total removal detention spaces to more than 2,500.
According to the Home Office, 50,000 migrants have been removed since the election, the highest number in a decade with enforced deportations up 24 per cent. Norris said the next stage of enforcement will extend these removals to include families and children.
Crackdown on last-minute legal claims
The minister also vowed to end the “whack-a-mole” cycle of late, often weak asylum claims that he says are used to delay deportations. Under proposed reforms, migrants will be required to present their entire case at the start of the process.
However, the Government will not remove judges’ roles in final deportation appeals, and asylum seekers will retain the right to challenge decisions in the upper tribunal.
Norris said the aim is “quicker initial decision-making” and an asylum system less vulnerable to late-stage claims that “often prove spurious.”
Debate over increased voluntary-return payments
The Government argues that significantly higher return incentives could reduce the financial burden of long-term accommodation, including costly hotel placements.
Norris said offering larger payments is “good value for the taxpayer”, adding:
“It makes the process easier and avoids the wider costs that build up over time.”
But experts warn that generous payments could risk attracting more migrants hoping to benefit from them.
Professor Brian Bell, chair of the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC), said international evidence suggests the long-term fiscal cost of refugees is high, around $400,000 (£200,000) per person in Australia. He noted that “high levels” of return payments could still be a saving for the taxpayer, but cautioned that they also risk encouraging more illegal crossings.
Madeleine Sumption, head of Oxford’s Migration Observatory and MAC deputy chair, added that higher payments may cause people who would have returned home without incentives to delay their departure in hopes of financial compensation.
Restrictions on Article 8 appeals
Ministers also plan to narrow the use of Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights—relating to the right to family life—so that only immediate family relationships apply. The Government believes this will reduce what it calls “dubious” appeals that delay removals.
The combined measures signal one of the most sweeping overhauls of the UK’s immigration enforcement system in years, centred on faster decisions, reduced legal challenges, stronger incentives for voluntary departure, and expanded detention capacity.
