Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood will reopen the UK's refugee resettlement scheme at the Labour conference on Monday, putting Afghan women and girls and Palestinians first in line. Refugees arriving through the scheme will get indefinite leave to remain, a five-year path to permanent settlement.

The scheme has been effectively suspended since late 2024. Referrals will resume through the UN refugee agency, with Palestinians referred via the International Refugee Assistance Project. The Home Office says every arrival will face identity, security and criminality checks before travelling to Britain.

Officials expect about one in four arrivals to be Afghan women, girls or Palestinians. Numbers will start in the hundreds and grow to the low thousands, with ministers setting a yearly cap.

Refugee charities welcomed the move but said the numbers are too small to stop small-boat Channel crossings. The government says the scheme balances compassion for the most vulnerable with control of the borders.

The announcement lands alongside tougher rules keeping other refugees' status under review for up to 20 years. Together, they show the UK trying to combine strict border control with help for those who cannot make dangerous journeys themselves.