Britain’s Labour government has announced new, tougher requirements for migrants applying for indefinite leave to remain (ILR), marking a significant shift in immigration policy.
Unveiling the plans at Labour’s annual conference in Liverpool on Monday, Interior Minister Shabana Mahmood said applicants must:
- Prove they have a job in the UK
- Make social security contributions
- Maintain a clean criminal record
- Undertake mandatory community volunteering
- Refrain from claiming state benefits
Currently, permanent residency can be granted after 10 years of legal residence (or five with family ties), allowing access to work, study, benefits, and citizenship pathways.
The new measures, Mahmood said, aim to restore public trust and ensure migrants integrate by learning English to a high standard and contributing to society.
The move comes amid rising pressure from Nigel Farage’s Reform UK, which advocates scrapping ILR entirely and forcing migrants to reapply for visas every five years, a plan Prime Minister Keir Starmer blasted as “racist” and “immoral.”
The proposals sparked criticism from over 100 organisations, who accused Labour of scapegoating migrants.
The debate unfolds against a backdrop of record Channel crossings, with 32,000 arrivals so far this year and 27 deaths, including nearly 900 arrivals in small boats last Saturday alone.
At the same conference, Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced youth employment schemes, while Foreign Minister Yvette Cooper warned voters that the 2029 election would be a choice between Labour’s policies and “chaotic right-wing ideology.”
