UK Plans Tougher Residency Rules for Migrants

UK Migrants seeking permanent residency in the United Kingdom will soon face tougher requirements, including having a job, avoiding benefits, and engaging in community service, under new plans to be unveiled by Interior Minister Shabana Mahmood.

According to VANGUARD, the Labour government is preparing a major policy shift. Currently, migrants with family in Britain who have lived there for five years, or anyone legally resident for 10 years, can qualify for “indefinite leave to remain”a permanent residence status that allows them to live, work, study, access benefits, and apply for citizenship.

Under the proposed changes, however, applicants must make social security contributions, claim no benefits, maintain a clean criminal record, and volunteer in their communities to qualify.

Mahmood will outline the reforms at the annual Labour Party conference, with consultations expected later this year, according to a party press release.

The announcement follows pressure from the opposition Reform Party, which recently proposed scrapping indefinite leave to remain entirely, requiring migrants to reapply for visas every five years. This would also affect hundreds of thousands who already hold permanent residency.

“These measures draw a clear dividing line between the Labour government and Reform, whose recent announcement would force workers, who have been contributing to this country for decades, to leave their homes and families,” the Labour Party said.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer described Reform’s policy as “racist”, warning it would “tear the country apart.”

In her first speech as Interior Minister, Mahmood will emphasize that migrants should achieve a high level of English and pledge to be a “tough” minister.

Immigration remains a top political issue in the UK. Mahmood is expected to warn Labour members that failure to act could push voters towards Nigel Farage’s Reform Party.

Meanwhile, Finance Minister Rachel Reeves will also address the conference, pledging to invest in Britain’s renewal and unveil plans to get more young people into work.