KEMI BADENOCH PROPOSES STRICTER IMMIGRATION POLICIES, EXTENDS CITIZENSHIP TO 15 YEARS
UK Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has announced a sweeping reform to tighten immigration rules, proposing that immigrants must wait at least 15 years before becoming eligible for British citizenship.
In her first major policy announcement as Tory leader, Badenoch outlined plans to extend the period before migrants can apply for Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) from five to ten years. Additionally, those who receive benefits, access social housing, or have criminal records would be barred from settling permanently in the UK.
Badenoch criticized the current system, calling it a “conveyor belt” to citizenship that allows too many migrants to settle too quickly, placing undue strain on public services.
“I want to reduce immigration and ensure that living here actually means something,” she stated. “We need to change how our immigration system works. That’s why the Conservative Party will be implementing the following changes:
1. The minimum residency period for ILR applications will increase from five to ten years.
2. Applicants must be net contributors with a sufficiently high salary, especially if they wish to bring family members.
3. Individuals with criminal records will be permanently barred from settlement.
Furthermore, the waiting period to apply for a British passport will be extended from 12 months to five years after obtaining ILR. This means the earliest an immigrant can apply for citizenship will increase from six years to 15 years.
Anyone who enters the country illegally or overstays their visa will be permanently banned from securing ILR or a British passport,” she added in a video shared on her X (formerly Twitter) account.
Currently, most migrants can apply for ILR after five years of working in the UK, with some visa holders qualifying in as little as two or three years. ILR grants the right to live, work, and study indefinitely, with a pathway to citizenship after 12 months.
Under Badenoch’s proposal, the ILR period would be extended to ten years, followed by an additional five-year wait before citizenship applications can begin—tripling the current minimum timeline.
The Conservative Party aims to backdate these changes to 2021 by amending the upcoming Border Security, Asylum, and Immigration Bill, set for parliamentary debate next week.
Badenoch’s plan also includes tighter restrictions on welfare access for immigrants, reinforcing her stance that the system must reward contribution rather than entitlement.
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