UK Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch has said people who move to Britain on temporary work visas should not automatically be allowed to settle permanently, urging the Labour government to retain its proposed 10-year qualifying period for indefinite leave to remain (ILR).
Badenoch made the call in a post on her X account while releasing a joint letter she signed with Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp to the UK Home Secretary. She argued that Britain must strengthen its immigration system by ensuring that permanent residency is earned, not guaranteed.
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“People who come to Britain on temporary work visas should not automatically be able to stay forever,” Badenoch wrote. “This Labour government was right to make that harder. Now their MPs want them to u-turn. Conservatives will back Labour’s original plan to help get it through Parliament.”
In the letter, the Conservative leaders expressed concern over reports that Labour may exempt about two million migrants who entered the UK on work visas between 2021 and the present from the proposed extension of the settlement qualifying period from five years to 10 years.
Badenoch described such a move as a mistake, saying previous immigration policies had shown that allowing migrants to qualify for permanent residency after five years was too generous.
She argued that many migrants currently employed in low-paid and low-skilled jobs could be replaced by economically inactive British citizens if the right employment opportunities were created
According to her, migrants who do not make what she described as a significant economic contribution over a decade should leave the UK when their temporary visas expire rather than qualify for permanent settlement.
Badenoch also warned that granting indefinite leave to remain after five years increases pressure on the welfare system because successful applicants become eligible for state benefits and can later apply for British citizenship.
She maintained that extending the qualifying period to 10 years would not amount to changing the rules retrospectively since temporary work visas do not guarantee permanent residence.
The Conservative leader further pledged her party’s support if Labour proceeds with its original immigration proposals without weakening them.
“If you table the proposals set out last autumn in their original form, we will support them,” she said, adding that the Conservatives would push for even stricter measures if returned to government.
Badenoch concluded that Labour’s decision on the reforms would determine whether the party is genuinely committed to reducing immigration and strengthening the UK’s border controls, insisting that permanent settlement should remain a privilege rather than an automatic outcome of temporary migration.
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