Kemi Badenoch Urges UK Government to Retain 10-Year Residency Rule for Migrants
Kemi Badenoch Urges UK Government to Retain 10-Year Residency Rule for Migrants
Kemi Badenoch Urges UK Government to Retain 10-Year Residency Rule for Migrants
Leader of the UK’s Conservative Party, Kemi Badenoch, has called on the Labour government to retain its proposed requirement that migrants on temporary work visas must live in Britain for 10 years before becoming eligible for Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR).
Badenoch made the appeal in a post on X, where she shared a letter addressed to the UK Home Secretary, arguing that temporary work visas should not automatically lead to permanent residency.
The letter, co-signed by Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp, opposed reports suggesting the Labour government was considering exempting approximately two million migrants who arrived in the UK on work visas between 2021 and the present from the proposed extension of the ILR qualifying period from five years to 10 years.
Describing any exemption as a “grave mistake,” Badenoch argued that the previous five-year pathway to permanent residency was too short and did not adequately assess a migrant’s long-term contribution to the country.
She further stated that some low-paid and low-skilled jobs currently occupied by migrant workers could instead be filled by economically inactive British citizens if greater employment opportunities were created.
According to Badenoch, migrants who do not make a meaningful economic contribution over a decade should return to their home countries once their temporary work visas expire rather than remain permanently in the United Kingdom.
She also warned that granting Indefinite Leave to Remain after five years places additional pressure on the country’s welfare system because successful applicants become eligible for state benefits and may subsequently apply for British citizenship.
Badenoch maintained that extending the qualifying period to 10 years would not be retrospective, stressing that temporary work visas do not constitute a guarantee of permanent settlement.
The Conservative leader pledged her party’s support for the Labour government if it proceeds with the proposed 10-year residency requirement without introducing exemptions.
Kemi Badenoch Urges UK Government to Retain 10-Year Residency Rule for Migrants
