Badenoch: UK migrants should face difficult hurdles for citizenship

Migrants on work visas who claim benefits will be barred from settling indefinitely in the UK, under Kemi Badenoch’s first major policy announcement as Tory leader. The proposed immigration policy changes for the Tories was announced by Badenoch in a video shared via X on Thursday. She said the period before migrants can apply for […]

Migrants on work visas who claim benefits will be barred from settling indefinitely in the UK, under Kemi Badenoch’s first major policy announcement as Tory leader.

The proposed immigration policy changes for the Tories was announced by Badenoch in a video shared via X on Thursday.

She said the period before migrants can apply for indefinite leave to remain – which paves the way for British citizenship – should be extended from five to 10 years.

Under her plan, the residency status would not be granted to migrants with criminal records, or those who had claimed benefits or social housing.

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She said: “Britain is our home, it’s not a hotel. It’s time to tell the truth on immigration and propose real plans. I want to reduce immigration and make living here actually mean something. I’m announcing that the Conservative Party is going to do the following things differently.

“If you want to stay in our country permanently and apply for indefinite leave to remain, the time you have to live here before you apply will increase from five years to 10 years. You have to be a net contributor with a high enough salary, especially if you want to bring family members with you. And if you’ve got a criminal record, you are banned.

“If you’ve claimed benefits or need social housing, you can’t even apply. We will increase the time before you can apply for a British passport from 12 months to five years. Meaning it will take a minimum of 15 years to start an application. If you enter this country illegally or outstay your visa, you will be banned from ever gaining leave to remain or a passport.”

In an interview with BBC, the Conservative Party leader said the current rules had created a “conveyor belt” to citizenship for those who had just arrived in the country.

She argued too many people were getting citizenship through this route and that was “creating a strain on public services”.

“We need to make sure that people coming here have a real, meaningful connection to the UK, so 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 said.

Badenoch said she believed the policy would bring numbers down but would not say by how much.

Last year, shortly after becoming Conservative leader, Badenoch said her party had got it “wrong” on immigration during its time in government, which saw net migration rise to a record high of 906,000.