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In a major signal of a tougher stance on immigration, Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has vowed sweeping reforms to migration law, introducing a requirement for legal migrants to prove a substantive "social contribution" before being granted the right to settle permanently in Britain.
Speaking ahead of the Labour Party conference in Liverpool, in a significant interview with The Sun on Sunday, Ms. Mahmood stated her belief that migration "has been too high" and its pace "very, very fast," acknowledging public concerns.
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The central pillar of the announced reforms targets Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR)—the status allowing legal migrants to settle in the UK without repeated visa renewals, often a precursor to citizenship.
Linking ILR to Community Contribution
Currently, the route to ILR is largely tied to a migrant's job, salary, and tax contributions, typically after five years of residency. Ms. Mahmood revealed ministers are now actively exploring how to ensure ILR "is linked not just to the job you are doing... but also the wider contribution you are making to our communities."
Hypothetically, what could this look like?
Experts suggest this 'social contribution' mandate could necessitate a new points-based system built around civic engagement. Potential pathways for migrants to demonstrate their commitment to society could include:
- Volunteer Service: Mandatory or incentivised hours of volunteering for local charities, NHS, or community-led initiatives.
- Civic Integration: Successfully completing an enhanced English language and 'Life in the UK' test, potentially including deeper local history and political system knowledge.
- Active Participation: Demonstrated involvement in local government, such as sitting on local community councils or engaging in neighbourhood watch schemes.
- Public Sector Work: A shorter route to settlement for migrants working in key public sectors like social care or nursing, a pathway the government has indicated could be shortened under an "earned settlement" model.
The new policy direction also aligns with the government's previous consideration, outlined in a White Paper, to double the standard qualifying period for ILR from five years to ten years, with exceptions for those making greater "Points-Based contributions to the UK economy and society." Ms. Mahmood’s proposals build on this by explicitly detailing the social and community contribution aspect.
The move to tighten settlement rules comes in the wake of a controversial pledge by Nigel Farage’s Reform UK to scrap ILR entirely for all non-EU migrants—a proposal senior Labour figures, including the Prime Minister, have branded as divisive and one that would "tear the country apart."
Tackling the Illegal Migration 'Disaster'
The Home Secretary also delivered a scathing assessment of the former policy of housing illegal migrants in hotels, branding it a "total disaster for the country." She reiterated her commitment to securing the border, which she described as "fundamental to holding the country together."
Ms. Mahmood stressed the political necessity of resolving the crisis, warning that a failure to do so would lead to "more division in our country," pointing to the worrying rise of "the far right."
To address the perceived 'mess,' Ms. Mahmood has promised decisive action on deportations. This includes a commitment to reform human rights law before Christmas to prevent its "misuse" in halting the removal of illegal migrants. This follows immediate steps taken to amend modern slavery laws after a court of appeal ruling thwarted her bid to appeal a High Court ruling blocking the removal of an Eritrean asylum seeker.
Ms. Mahmood has vowed to "fight" last-minute, "vexatious" challenges in court and has commissioned work to prevent the misuse of the Modern Slavery system by those facing removal. She is looking at new guidance for courts on interpreting certain articles of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) and has been emphatic about the need to "ramp up" deportations to act as a deterrent, signalling a willingness to cut visas for countries that refuse to accept the return of their citizens who have no right to remain in the UK.
