Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.'
Leader of the UK Conservative Party, Kemi Badenoch, has firmly opposed moves by the Labour government to exempt approximately two million migrants who arrived on work visas between 2021 and 2026 from a proposed rule requiring migrants to wait 10 years, instead of five, before qualifying for Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR). In a letter dated 13 July 2026, addressed to the UK Home Secretary and copied to Andy Burnham, whom she said she anticipated would become Prime Minister, Badenoch warned that reversing the planned reforms would undermine efforts to tighten immigration controls and increase pressure on the country's welfare system.
Badenoch, who made her position known in a post on her X handle, criticised attempts by some Labour lawmakers to dilute the government's planned immigration reforms. "People who come to Britain on temporary work visas should not automatically be able to stay forever," she wrote. "This Labour government was right to make that harder. Now their MPs want them to U-turn. Conservatives will back Labour's original plan to help get it through Parliament."
The letter, jointly signed by Badenoch and Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp, expressed concern over reports that the government was considering exempting around two million migrants who entered the UK on work visas between 2021 and the present from the proposed changes. Describing the reported exemption as "a grave mistake," Badenoch argued that Britain had previously experienced the consequences of allowing migrants to obtain permanent settlement too quickly. "As Conservatives learned to our cost, five years is too short a time to obtain the indefinite right to remain in the UK," the letter stated.
Badenoch further argued that many migrants currently employed in low-paid and low-skilled jobs could be replaced by economically inactive British citizens if more employment opportunities were created. She noted that there are approximately nine million economically inactive British citizens who could fill such roles. According to her, migrants who fail to make a significant economic contribution over a decade should return to their home countries once their temporary work visas expire. "Individuals who are not making a significant economic contribution over a ten-year period should not be allowed to stay indefinitely. Those not working, or working in low-paid jobs, should be required to go home at the end of their temporary work visa," she wrote.
The Conservative leader also maintained that granting indefinite leave to remain after just five years increases pressure on Britain's welfare system because recipients become eligible for social benefits and can later apply for British citizenship. She argued that extending the qualifying period to 10 years would not amount to changing the rules retrospectively, stressing that temporary work visas do not confer an automatic right to permanent residence. "The government is perfectly entitled to decide at any time the rules on indefinite rights of settlement, including in relation to those here already," she said.
Offering cross-party support, Badenoch said the Conservative Party would back Labour's original immigration proposals if they were introduced without dilution. "If you table the proposals set out last autumn in undiluted form, either in the Immigration Rules or as part of the Immigration and Asylum Bill, we will support them," the letter said. She added that Labour's handling of the reforms would demonstrate whether the party was genuinely committed to controlling immigration and strengthening the UK's borders.
The proposed reforms, which were first announced in November 2025, represent the biggest overhaul of the UK's immigration system in 50 years. Under the original plan, the qualifying period for ILR would double from five to 10 years. However, reports that the Labour government was considering exempting migrants who arrived on work visas between 2021 and 2026 from the extended waiting period have sparked a fierce political debate. Badenoch's intervention signals that the Conservative Party is prepared to use its parliamentary influence to ensure the reforms are passed without dilution, setting the stage for a significant political confrontation over the future of UK immigration policy.
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