Kemi Badenoch moves to increase waiting period for British citizenship

Conservative Party leader, Kemi Badenoch, has announced a proposal to extend the minimum time required for immigrants to apply for British citizenship to 15 years.

The move, unveiled in a video shared on her X account, on Thursday, February 6, forms part of a broader effort to tighten immigration rules and ensure that only “net contributors” gain long-term residency and citizenship in the UK.

Badenoch stated that under the proposed policy, the wait time for indefinite leave to remain (ILR) would double from five to ten years, adding that those granted ILR would need to wait another five years before becoming eligible to apply for British citizenship.

Immigrants with criminal records and those who overstayed their visas will be banned from making such an application under the new policy.

Under the current law, immigrants seeking British citizenship would have to obtain an Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR), after having worked in the country for five years. Although, the duration can be lower – two or three years – depending on the visas.

According to the current immigration law, immigrants can apply for British citizenship, a year after they have been granted indefinite leave (ILR) to remain.

But with Badenoch’s proposal, immigrants may now have to work for ten years and wait for another five before obtaining British citizenship.

“I want to reduce immigration and make living here actually mean something. We need to change the way our immigration system works. So I am announcing that the conservative party is going to do the following things differently:

“1. If you want to stay in our country permanently and apply for indefinite leave to remain, the time you have to live here before you apply would increase from five years to ten years.

2. You will have to be a net contributor with a high enough salary, especially if you want to bring family members with you. And if you have a criminal record, you are banned.

“We would increase the time you can apply for a British passport from 12 months to five years, meaning it will take a minimum of 15 years to start an application. If you enter this country illegally or overstay your visa, you will be banned from ever getting leave to remain or a passport,” she said.

According to reports, the Conservatives are pushing for the government to implement the changes retroactively from 2021 by amending the Border Security, Asylum, and Immigration Bill, which is set for debate in Parliament next week.

Earlier in an interview with the BBC, Badenoch expressed concern over the current immigration system, calling it a “conveyor belt” to citizenship for newcomers.

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She argued that too many individuals were obtaining citizenship through this route, putting unnecessary pressure on public services.

Badenoch, born to Nigerian parents in the UK, emphasised the need to ensure that people coming to the UK have a meaningful connection to the country.

“We need to make sure that people coming here have a real, meaningful connection to the UK. So no criminal records, they should be net contributors to the economy, not relying on benefits but people who care about our country and our communities.”

This development is coming on the heels of the United States President Donald Trump implementing stricter immigration controls.

The executive order, signed just hours after his inauguration on January 20, 2025, sought to limit automatic citizenship to children born to parents who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents.

This policy shift has far-reaching implications for immigrant communities, particularly illegal immigrants, with Trump’s order stopping the State Department from issuing passports and directing the Social Security Administration to no longer recognise the babies born by immigrants as U.S. citizens.

Children born to undocumented immigrants, as well as those on temporary visas, may no longer qualify for U.S. citizenship by birth.

This also means that the children denied citizenship may face deportation alongside their parents under Trump’s broader immigration policies.

In less than 20 days, Trump’s government has reportedly deported over 6,000 illegal immigrants.

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