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By Lawrence Agbo
UK Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch has said that people who enter Britain on temporary work visas should not automatically be granted the right to remain in the country permanently, urging the Labour government to maintain its proposed reforms that extend the qualifying period for indefinite leave to remain (ILR) from 5 to 10 years.
In a statement posted on her X account, Badenoch criticised attempts by some Labour MPs to water down the government’s planned immigration measures, arguing that temporary work visas should not become a pathway to automatic permanent settlement.
“People who come to Britain on temporary work visas should not automatically be able to stay forever,” she wrote, adding that the Conservative Party would support Labour’s original proposal if it is presented to Parliament without changes.
In a letter addressed to the UK Home Secretary and co-signed by Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp, Badenoch warned against exempting an estimated two million migrants who arrived on work visas between 2021 and the present from the proposed 10-year residency requirement.
She described such a move as a “grave mistake,” arguing that Britain’s previous five-year route to permanent residency had proven too lenient.
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According to Badenoch, migrants who have not made what she described as a meaningful economic contribution over a decade should leave the UK once their temporary work visas expire.
She also argued that many low-skilled jobs currently filled by migrants could instead be taken by economically inactive British citizens if the right employment opportunities were provided.
The Conservative leader further warned that granting indefinite leave to remain after only five years increases pressure on the welfare system because successful applicants become eligible for public benefits and may later apply for British citizenship.
Badenoch maintained that extending the qualifying period to 10 years would not amount to changing the rules retrospectively, stressing that temporary work visas do not guarantee permanent settlement.
“The government is perfectly entitled to decide at any time the rules on indefinite rights of settlement,” she stated, insisting that changing the qualification period for future applications does not breach existing commitments.
Kemi Badenoch concluded by offering the Conservative Party’s backing for Labour’s original immigration proposals, saying the government’s final decision would demonstrate whether it was serious about strengthening border controls and reducing immigration.
