UKs home secretary plans to double time for indefinite leave to remain

Shabana Mahmood, Britain’s home secretary, has plans to double the time required for migrants to qualify for Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR).

Under the new proposals, most migrants, including refugees and care workers, would have to wait 10 years instead of five to secure permanent residency.

Although the Home Office maintains that these changes do not require new legislation or a mandatory vote, opposing MPs are looking to use parliamentary procedures to trigger a non-binding debate.

Their goal is to publicly highlight the strength of feeling against a policy that former Angela Rayner, deputy leader previously described as “un-British.”
The government argues the reforms are necessary to manage net migration, which saw 2.6 million people added to the UK population between 2021 and 2024.

Read also: Kemi Badenoch backs the United States action in Venezuela, citing childhood under military rule

The Home Office estimates that without intervention, a further 1.6 million people could settle permanently by 2030.

Concerns over global competitiveness

Tony Vaughan, the Labour MP for Folkestone and Hythe, led a group of 100 colleagues in writing to the Home Secretary to voice their opposition.

He warned that the policy would damage the UK’s ability to attract essential talent.

“If people can get settlement in five years, as they can in major EU economies, Canada, and Australia, why would they come here? That is not going to help the British public,” Vaughan told the BBC.

He dismissed the idea of “transitional arrangements” for those already in the UK as a “sticking plaster on a scheme that was flawed from the beginning.”

Read also: Canada’s immigration changes open new pathways for Nigerians

A party divided

The debate has exposed a significant rift between different wings of the party. While some MPs fear the policy “reneges on promises” made to those who have already moved to the UK, others believe a hardline stance is essential to winning over voters in areas where Reform UK is gaining ground.

A Home Office spokesperson reiterated the government’s position, stating:

“The privilege of living here forever should be earned, not automatic. We must be honest about the scale and impact of hundreds of thousands of low-skilled migrants getting settlement rights.”

While the Conservatives have indicated they may support the ILR extension and Reform UK has called for the total abolition of settlement rights, the Liberal Democrats remain firmly opposed.

Although a parliamentary vote would not be legally binding, the threat of an official revolt by its own MPs poses a major challenge to the government’s leadership on this controversial issue.