Follow Us on Google
By Bimbola Oyesola
Nigerian migrants in the United Kingdom have expressed concerns over recent proposals by the government to elongate the settlement period in the country for legal and illegal migrants.
The UK government has continued to unveil sweeping immigration reforms, the latest proposal extending the time of settlement and forbidding migrants from receiving benefits or social housing until they become full British citizens.
The latest proposal, critics say, is the country’s toughest shift on migration policy in decades.
Under the plans set out by home secretary Shabana Mahmood, legal migrants would lose access to key welfare support previously available after obtaining settlement, while people who arrive via small boats or as visa overstayers could wait up to 30 years before gaining residency rights.
Mahmood told MPs the changes were necessary because the UK had seen “an unprecedented scale of arrivals”, arguing that the new system “prioritises contribution, integration and respect for the British sense of fair play.”
The proposals would dramatically alter the path to settling in Britain. Arrivals will no longer be eligible for indefinite leave to remain after five years, but after 10 years, with only those who meet strict ‘contribution-based’ criteria qualifying sooner.
However Nigerians who arrived the country between the year 2021 and now, and already looking forward to 5 years benefits see it as a betrayal of trust on the path of the UK government.
Some interviewed said they are ready to make their voices heard through the government platform and the organised labour which is organising an action in protest against the proposal in December.
“We would not fold our hands, we are not an illegal immigrants and we have been contributing to the economy, paying our taxes and other things expected of us. The worst thing is that of care workers which they are proposing 15 years, quite ridiculous and unfair,” one of the Nigerian migrants who has been working in the health care for three years reacted. “On my part I have been diligent in my work and despite all I have to pass through with my family, we have been law abiding and contributing our quota to the economy.”
Other News
Another Nigerian already settled in the UK however advised the migrants not to be ruffled by the new proposal as it is still open to debate, noting that such proposal came on the table about two decades ago but never saw the light of the day.
Meanwhile, as part of the tougher approach, more than 600,000 overseas health and care workers who entered the UK in what ministers have called the “Boriswave” could face a wait of up to 25 years for settlement if they or their dependants have claimed benefits for more than a year.
Those who entered the country irregularly, such as via small boats or lorry backs face the longest timeframe, with the new rules setting a potential 30-year wait for settlement, a move that effectively eliminates long-term security for thousands of people.
In contrast, the government confirmed that high-earning migrants, entrepreneurs, and NHS doctors and nurses will benefit from shorter routes, with some eligible to settle after only three to five years. Critics say the divide embeds a two-tier immigration structure based on income.
NGOs and rights advocates have condemned the plans, warning they would leave tens of thousands of people in prolonged uncertainty. Enver Solomon, chief executive of the Refugee Council, described the reforms as “risking trapping people who have fled war and persecution in three decades of instability and stress,” adding that repeated reviews would “only add very expensive bureaucracy and keep people in limbo.”
Christina McAnea, general secretary of Unison, said the reforms would be “devastating” for essential workers, many of whom supported the UK during the pandemic. “Judging someone’s worth by the size of their wage slip sends a dreadful message,” she said, arguing that forcing dedicated staff to wait 15 years for security “betrays the promises they were made.”
Migration specialists also raised concerns about family cohesion. Madeleine Sumption of the Migration Observatory at the University of Oxford said the proposals could create “a much larger number of ‘mixed-status’ families,” where some relatives have permanent rights and others remain temporary.
The tougher stance is part of a wider crackdown that will continue next week, when chancellor Rachel Reeves is expected to announce funding for a new investigative team to target illegal working in small businesses such as car washes, nail salons, takeaways and grocers.
Reeves will allocate £1m to the initiative, which will sit within the Fair Work Agency and coordinate with immigration and tax officials to clamp down on employers who breach migration rules.
Prime minister Keir Starmer defended the broader approach, insisting it reflects public concerns. “It is too easy to work illegally in the UK, which is why we’re putting this extra money in,” he told reporters, adding that ministers would continue deploying officials to identify illegal workers across the country.
