Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch has urged the United Kingdom’s Labour government not to weaken its proposal to increase the qualifying period for perma...
Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch has urged the United Kingdom’s Labour government not to weaken its proposal to increase the qualifying period for permanent residency from five years to 10 years.
Badenoch, who was born in Nigeria, made the remarks in a post on X, where she argued that temporary work visas should not automatically lead to permanent settlement in the United Kingdom.
She said migrants who remain unemployed or continue working in low-paid jobs should leave the country when their work visas expire rather than automatically qualifying for permanent residency.
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According to Badenoch, the proposed changes are intended to reinforce the distinction between temporary migration for work and permanent settlement in the United Kingdom.
The proposal under consideration would increase the waiting period for migrants seeking indefinite leave to remain from five years to 10 years.
If implemented, the policy could affect around 2 million migrants who entered the United Kingdom on work visas from 2021 onwards.
Badenoch called on the Labour government to maintain the proposed reforms and avoid making changes that would reduce the qualifying period for permanent settlement.
Her comments come as immigration policy continues to be a key issue in the United Kingdom, with political parties debating changes to migration rules and settlement requirements.
The Labour government has proposed extending the qualifying period for permanent residency, while discussions continue on how the policy should be implemented.
The proposal remains under consideration, and no final decision has been announced on whether the qualifying period for permanent residency will officially increase to 10 years.
