UK MPs Propose Increasing ILR from Five to Ten Years: Opposition in the UK Calls for Tougher Citizenship Laws for All Migrants. Any future Conservative Party government led by Badenoch would double the ILR qualifying time to ten years.
The opposition Conservative Party of the United Kingdom on Thursday suggested a crackdown on all immigrants by strengthening citizenship regulations and denying residency rights to those who receive social benefits.
In an apparent attempt to regain the support of Conservative voters who had defected to the far-right anti-immigrant Reform Party, Kemi Badenoch, who succeeded Rishi Sunak as Tory leader in November of last year, unveiled her first significant policy program.
Her plans would prevent low-wage and unemployed foreign workers from applying for permanent residency in the UK, allowing them to be sent back to their home countries.
Our nation is our home, not a dorm room. Only individuals who have shown a genuine commitment to the UK should be granted citizenship and permanent residency, according to Badenoch.
“A new leadership has taken over the Conservative Party. We will present the harsh realities of immigration. For genuine integration, the rate of immigration has been too rapid and the volume of new arrivals is too great.
“For the sake of citizenship, we must slow down the track. According to her, obtaining a UK passport ought to be an honour rather than a given.
As of right now, foreign nationals, including Indians, must have been in the UK for five years in order to be eligible to apply for Indefinite Leave to Remain. Twelve months later, they can then apply for citizenship and a passport.
Any future Conservative Party government led by Badenoch would double the ILR qualifying time to ten years.
Additionally, the party would tie any ILR application to people who haven’t utilised social housing or claimed any social benefits over the previous ten years.
Anyone with a criminal past would be excluded from the process completely, and they would need to prove that their household would be a “net contributor” to the economy, which would impose a higher wage barrier.
With net migration reaching an all-time high of 9,06,000 in 2023, immigration continues to dominate the UK government’s agenda.
“The Labour government is overseeing an impending catastrophe rather than lowering the amount of people entering Britain. In fact, the Border Security Bill will make it simpler for both legal and illegal immigrants to remain in the UK. In an attempt to establish a distinct boundary between the two major parties on immigration, Badenoch declared, “No one can trust Labour on immigration.”
The Tory leader argued this week with her own shadow foreign secretary, Priti Patel, who attempted to defend the record of the previous Tory government while serving as home secretary during the surge in migration between 2019 and 2022.
The shadow minister of Indian descent claimed that the idea that the previous administration, in which she served in the Cabinet, had opened the nation’s borders was “totally distortionary.”
Patel then stated: “Our party is now under new leadership and it is important we learn from our mistakes and how we can do things better,” following Badenoch’s statement that it was critical the Conservatives “tell the truth about the mistakes we made.”
According to a YouGov survey released on Wednesday, 56% of British citizens said that Labour’s immigration policy was “not strict enough,” while 21% thought it was either too strict or about right.
The ruling party, however, retaliated against the opposition for ignoring these figures.
“During their 14 years in power, the Tories totally lost control of our borders,” stated Labour’s border security minister Angela Eagle.
They are so disorganised that a lot of what they are claiming is already true or is the reverse of measures they have implemented in previous years. She claimed that despite having 14 years to control the system, they instead caused chaos, which Labour is currently resolving.
As part of plans to reduce net migration, Prime Minister Keir Starmer has promised to lower net migration during the Parliament. The government is also expected to release a white paper in the coming weeks that will include new requirements for employers to hire and train domestic workers.
UK MPs Propose Increasing ILR from Five to Ten Years