Leader of the UK Conservative Party, Kemi Badenoch, has urged the Labour government to retain its proposed 10-year qualifying period for Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR), insisting that migrants who enter Britain on temporary work visas should not automatically qualify for permanent residency.
Badenoch made the call in a post on X while sharing a letter addressed to the UK Home Secretary. She criticised attempts by some Labour lawmakers to dilute the government’s proposed immigration reforms, arguing that temporary work visas should not guarantee permanent settlement.
In the letter, jointly signed with Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp, Badenoch opposed reports that the Labour government was considering exempting about two million migrants who arrived on work visas between 2021 and the present from the proposed extension of the ILR qualifying period from five years to 10 years.
She described such a move as a “grave mistake,” maintaining that the previous five-year pathway to permanent residency was too short.
According to Badenoch, some migrants occupying low-paid and low-skilled jobs could be replaced by economically inactive British citizens if greater employment opportunities were created for them.
She further argued that migrants who fail to make a meaningful economic contribution over a 10-year period should return to their home countries when their temporary work visas expire, rather than remain in the UK indefinitely.
Badenoch also said granting ILR after five years places additional pressure on the welfare system because successful applicants become eligible for state benefits and may subsequently apply for British citizenship.
She maintained that extending the qualifying period to 10 years would not amount to retrospective legislation, stressing that temporary work visas do not guarantee permanent residency.
The Conservative leader pledged her party’s support if the Labour government proceeds with the original proposal without granting exemptions.
