- Kemi Badenoch has urged the UK Labour government to maintain its proposed 10-year qualifying period for Indefinite Leave to Remain, arguing that temporary work visas should not automatically lead to permanent residency.
- She also opposed reports of possible exemptions for millions of migrants, saying permanent settlement should depend on long-term economic contribution rather than the automatic passage of time.
UK Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch has said migrants who move to Britain on temporary work visas should not automatically qualify for permanent residency, urging the Labour government to retain its proposed 10-year qualifying period for Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR).
Badenoch made the remarks in a post on X while sharing a letter addressed to the UK Home Secretary. She criticised calls by some Labour lawmakers for exemptions to the proposed immigration reforms, insisting that temporary work visas should not become a guaranteed pathway to permanent settlement.
In the letter, co-signed by Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp, Badenoch opposed reports that the Labour government was considering exempting around 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 any such exemption as a “grave mistake,” arguing that the previous five-year pathway to permanent residency was too short. According to Badenoch, some migrants working in low-paid and low-skilled jobs could be replaced by economically inactive British citizens if more employment opportunities were created.
The Conservative leader further argued that migrants who fail to make a meaningful economic contribution over a 10-year period should return to their home countries once their temporary work visas expire instead of remaining in the UK indefinitely.
Badenoch also maintained that granting ILR after five years places additional pressure on the welfare system, as successful applicants become eligible for state benefits and may later apply for British citizenship.
She added that extending the qualifying period to 10 years would not be retrospective because temporary work visas do not guarantee permanent settlement. Badenoch pledged the Conservative Party’s support if the Labour government retains the original proposal without introducing exemptions.
