Leader of the UK’s Conservative Party, Kemi Badenoch, has argued that migrants who enter Britain on temporary work visas should not automatically qualify for permanent residence, urging the Labour government to keep its proposed requirement of a 10-year wait before becoming eligible for indefinite leave to remain (ILR).
Badenoch shared her position in a post on X on Monday alongside a letter addressed to the UK’s Home Secretary. In the post, she criticised pressure from some Labour MPs who are calling on the government to ease its planned immigration measures.
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She wrote that people arriving on temporary work visas should not expect to settle in Britain permanently, adding that Labour’s original proposal to make permanent settlement more difficult was the right approach. She also pledged Conservative support for the policy if Labour keeps it unchanged and brings it before Parliament.
The accompanying letter, signed by Badenoch and Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp, raised concerns over reports that the government may exempt roughly two million migrants who entered the UK on work visas from 2021 onward from the proposed extension of the ILR qualifying period.
According to Badenoch, creating such an exemption would be a serious error, arguing that previous immigration policies had shown the drawbacks of allowing migrants to secure permanent residency after only five years.
She maintained that a five-year pathway to settlement is too short and suggested that many migrants employed in lower-paid, lower-skilled roles could be replaced by economically inactive British citizens if suitable employment opportunities were made available.
Badenoch further argued that migrants who fail to make what she described as a substantial economic contribution over a decade should leave the UK when their temporary visas expire. In her view, individuals who are unemployed or remain in low-paying jobs should not qualify for indefinite settlement.
The Conservative leader also warned that granting ILR after five years increases pressure on the welfare system because recipients become eligible for state benefits and can later apply for British citizenship. She noted that even if access to benefits were delayed, successful applicants would eventually become citizens, making future restrictions difficult to enforce.
She added that neither the Immigration and Asylum Bill nor existing legislation currently provides a mechanism for changing welfare eligibility for people once they have obtained indefinite leave to remain.
Badenoch insisted that extending the qualifying period from five to 10 years would not amount to a retrospective policy change because temporary work visas have never guaranteed permanent residency. She argued that governments have the authority to revise settlement rules at any time, including for people already living in the UK on temporary visas.
The Conservative leader also offered Labour cross-party backing if it proceeds with its original immigration proposals without weakening them. She said her party would support the measures in Parliament, although a future Conservative government would pursue even stricter reforms.
Badenoch concluded by saying Labour’s decision on whether to retain or dilute its original plans would demonstrate whether the party is genuinely committed to reducing immigration and strengthening border control.
The letter was also copied to Andy Burnham, whom Badenoch described as the expected future Prime Minister, as debate over the UK’s immigration policy continues.
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