By Eniola Amadu
Migrants will face stricter requirements to secure permanent residency in the UK under plans set to be unveiled by Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood at the Labour Party conference.
The proposals will require migrants to demonstrate integration and contribution to society in order to qualify for indefinite leave to remain.
Applicants will need to meet higher English language standards, maintain a clean criminal record, and undertake voluntary community work.
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Currently, migrants can apply for indefinite leave to remain after five years of legal residence, giving them the right to live and work in the UK permanently.
Labour intends to extend that qualifying period to 10 years. The party says some migrants who make “exceptional contributions” through skills or service could be eligible for settlement earlier.
The policy comes as Labour seeks to contrast its approach with Reform UK, which has proposed abolishing indefinite leave to remain altogether.
Reform’s plan would replace permanent settlement with renewable visas, requiring even long-term residents to reapply every five years.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer criticised the Reform policy in a BBC interview, describing it as “racist” and “immoral.”
Chancellor Rachel Reeves echoed his comments, saying that while people in the UK illegally should be deported, those who have lived and worked in the UK legally should not.
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage rejected the accusations, accusing Labour of abandoning border controls.
Reform’s policy chief, Zia Yusuf, told the BBC that voters had “legitimate concerns about immigration” and argued that the UK should not fund benefits or welfare for foreign nationals.
Ministers said Labour’s proposed framework is designed to ensure fairness and integration.
Migrants applying for settlement would have to demonstrate National Insurance contributions and refrain from claiming benefits.
In her speech, Mahmood is expected to argue that “fair migration” and secure borders are essential to maintaining an open and tolerant country.
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The home secretary will link her proposals to personal experience, referencing her parents’ arrival in Britain and her own childhood working in the family shop.
She is also due to launch a “winter of action” on retail crime, with police forces working with businesses to tackle shoplifting.
