UK to Enforce Tougher Residency Rules: Migrants Must Work, Avoid Benefits, and Volunteer

The UK government has unveiled plans to tighten rules for migrants seeking permanent residency, requiring applicants to have a job, avoid benefits, and contribute to their communities.

Currently, migrants can secure “indefinite leave to remain” (ILR) after five years if they have family in Britain or after 10 years of legal residence on any visa. ILR allows permanent residency, access to work, study, benefits, and eventual citizenship.

Under the proposed changes, migrants would need to prove they have made social security contributions, claimed no benefits, hold a clean criminal record, and volunteered in their community before qualifying. Interior Minister Shabana Mahmood will outline the reforms at the Labour Party’s annual conference on Monday, with public consultations expected later this year.

The move comes amid pressure from the opposition Reform Party, which has pledged to scrap ILR entirely and force all migrants to reapply for visas every five years — a policy Labour has strongly opposed.

“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,” Labour said in a statement.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer condemned Reform’s proposal as “racist” and warned it would “tear the country apart.”

Mahmood also said migrants must reach a high standard of English and pledged to be a “tough” minister, warning that ignoring immigration concerns could push voters toward Reform leader Nigel Farage.

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