Nigel Farage has unveiled a plan to tighten regulations on migrant rights and benefits eligibility. The leader of Reform UK proposed eliminating indefinite leave to remain if his party secures power, aiming to counter the effects of what they call the “Boriswave” – a surge in migration under the relaxed post-Brexit rules introduced by the current Tory government.
Under the proposed changes, an estimated 800,000 new migrants are expected to receive indefinite leave to remain between 2026 and 2030. However, critics quickly dismissed the plan as lacking credibility, with doubts raised just hours after its announcement.
Indefinite leave to remain, a pathway to citizenship, requires migrants to have resided and worked in the UK for at least five years. It grants them the right to work, live, study, and access certain benefits, paving the way for a potential citizenship application.
Reform UK intends to abolish this status and introduce renewable visas lasting five years instead. The new visas would come with higher salary thresholds, stringent English language requirements, and prohibit recipients from claiming benefits.
Farage clarified that there would be no retroactive changes to the citizenship status of those already granted UK citizenship. He emphasized that the proposed changes would not affect existing legal citizens.
Farage claimed that scrapping indefinite leave to remain and restricting benefits for migrants would save UK taxpayers over £230 billion, a figure based on a report from the Centre for Policy Studies, although the think-tank has distanced itself from this estimate.
Despite criticisms and doubts surrounding the financial implications, Farage reiterated the cost-saving benefits during a recent press conference without providing concrete evidence.
Reform UK’s policy chief hinted at significant changes to the salary threshold for the new visas but did not provide specifics, suggesting more details would emerge closer to the next general election.
Questions linger regarding the impact of these proposed changes on essential public services like the NHS and the care sector, which heavily rely on migrant workers. Reform UK’s policy head mentioned the introduction of an ‘acute, skills shortage visa’ for care workers, emphasizing a capped and controlled system to prevent abuse, with employers expected to fund training programs for British workers.
In light of potential consequences, such as workforce shortages in critical sectors, the finer details of the proposed reforms remain unclear.