Migrants could only be eligible for benefits and social housing once they become British citizens and those in the country illegally could have to wait up to 30 years for long-term residency in the UK under new plans announced by the home secretary.
Shabana Mahmood has unveiled a shake-up to rules for legal migration aimed at reducing the number of people coming to the UK, just days after announcing reforms to the asylum system, telling the Commons that settlement in the UK is a “privilege, not a right”.
The shake-up will see the government move towards a new “contribution-based model”, with mandatory conditions for people applying for “earned” settlement.
These include having a clean criminal record, paying National Insurance for the last three years, speaking English at A-level standard, and having no debt to the government.
The default qualifying period for Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) will also be increased from the current five years to ten years, with different groups to be ‘penalised’ or ‘rewarded’ with longer or shorter qualifying periods depending on their “contribution”.
The qualifying period will be reduced to nine years if someone can speak English to degree level, five years if they pay the higher rate of tax. Migrants who pay the top rate of tax or are on a global talent visa will have to wait three years – shorter than it is now – to qualify.
Those working in public services at a certain level, for example doctors and teachers, will qualify in five years, while people who volunteer will have their qualifying periods reduced by three to five years.
On the other hand, people who claimed benefits for less than 12 months will have a five year penalty, and those who have claimed for over 12 months will face a ten year penalty.
If someone came via an illegal route, they could face a penalty of up to 20 years – meaning it could be 30 years after their arrival until they are qualified to apply for ILR.
The so-called ‘Boris-wave’ cohort will have a 15 year default qualifying period for ILR. This means the longest someone from this cohort could be waiting is 25 years if they have also claimed benefits for more than 12 months.
The ‘Boris-wave’ is a term used to describe the steep increase in migration to the UK from outside the EU in the wake of Brexit, when Boris Johnson was prime minister.
Current forecasts show 1.6 million are due to settle in the UK between 2026 and 2030, with a peak of 450,000 in 2028, Ms Mahmood told the Commons
Despite the crackdown, the home secretary also addressed those “who believe that migration is part of modern Britain’s story”, saying: “We must prove that it can still work”.
Insisting that she “sees the benefits of migration”, Ms Mahmood said: “I wouldn’t be here if this country hadn’t welcomed my parents”, she told the Commons. “It is literally the story of my life… so I very much feel those benefits personally and I will always speak up for them as I have done today.”
While the home secretary said that migration “will always be a vital part of Britain’s story”, she warned that the “scale of arrivals in recent years has been unprecedented”.
She said: “To settle in this country forever is not a right, but a privilege. And it must be earned.
“I am replacing a broken immigration system with one that prioritises contribution, integration and respect for the British sense of fair play.”
The home secretary reiterated that changes to indefinite leave to remain will not impact those with settled status – marking a break from Reform UK’s pledge to retrospectively strip people of indefinite leave to remain.
Ms Mahmood said: “May I make one thing absolutely clear though: we will not change the rules for those with settled status today. These are people who have been in our country for years, even decades. They have families here, wives, husbands, children.
“They have worked in our hospitals, taught in our schools and have been contributing to our society for years. Fairness is the most fundamental of British values. We made a promise when we gave them settlement and we do not break our promises.”
She added: “For those who believe that migration is part of modern Britain’s story, and should always continue to be, we must prove that it can still work.
“That those who come here contribute, play their part and enrich our national life. While each will always retain something of who they were and where they came from, they become a part of the greatest multi-ethnic, multi-faith democracy in the world.”
