UK Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch proposes stricter immigration policies, extending the citizenship process from 6 to 15 years. Migrants on benefits, with criminal records, or who entered illegally face bans. The plan, aimed at reducing migration, faces backlash, especially from Nigerians who accuse her of hypocrisy.
UK Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has proposed a major overhaul of immigration policies, aiming to extend the citizenship process from six years to fifteen. Under her plan, migrants on work visas who have claimed benefits or social housing would be barred from applying for citizenship.
Additionally, the requirement for obtaining Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) would increase from five to ten years, with a further five-year wait before applying for British citizenship. Individuals with criminal records or those who entered the UK illegally would be permanently banned from gaining legal status.
Badenoch argues that the current system creates an easy path to citizenship, putting pressure on public services. She insists that citizenship should be granted only to those with a "meaningful connection" to the UK and who contribute economically.
Many Nigerians have criticized her stance, pointing out that she benefited from the UK’s previous immigration policies. Badenoch was born in the UK in 1980 before the British Nationality Act 1981 ended automatic citizenship by birth.
Labour MP Angela Eagle dismissed the proposals, calling them an attempt to distract from the Conservative Party’s failure to control migration over the last 14 years.
The proposal, which Badenoch wants to apply retroactively to 2021, is expected to be debated in Parliament soon. With rising immigration concerns and Nigel Farage’s Reform UK gaining traction, Badenoch’s hardline approach could reshape the future of UK immigration policies.
