Leader of the Conservative Party, Kemi Badenoch has proposed That immigrants must wait at least 15 years before becoming eligible for British citizenship.
The plan, part of her first major announcement as Tory leader, seeks to tighten the immigration system by extending the period before migrants can apply for indefinite leave to remain (ILR) from five to ten years.
She also disclosed that those who claim benefits, access social housing, or have criminal records would be barred from settling in the UK permanently.
“The right to citizenship and permanent residency should only go to those who have demonstrated a real commitment to the UK,” Badenoch stated as quoted by the BBC.
Under the current system, most migrants can apply for ILR after five years of working in the UK, with some visa holders qualifying in two or three years.
ILR grants the right to live, work, and study in the UK indefinitely, and after 12 months, holders can apply for British citizenship.
The new Conservative proposal extends the ILR period to ten years and mandates an additional five-year wait before migrants can apply for citizenship—tripling the minimum timeframe from six to 15 years.
The party is pushing for these changes to be backdated to 2021 by amending the upcoming Border Security, Asylum, and Immigration Bill, set for parliamentary debate next week.
Badenoch’s plan also cracks down on welfare access for immigrants.
While most migrants on work visas, asylum seekers, and those in the UK illegally cannot claim state benefits due to the “no recourse to public funds” condition, some have had the restriction lifted.
Badenoch argued that the current system had created a “conveyor belt” to citizenship, allowing too many people to settle in the UK too quickly and “creating a strain on public services.”
“We need to make sure that people coming here have a real, meaningful connection to the UK—no criminal records, they should be net contributors to the economy, not relying on benefits but people who care about our country and our communities,” she added.
However, she declined to specify how much this policy would reduce migration numbers.
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