Immigrants must encounter more thorough obstacles to citizenship, says Badenoch – Irvine Times

Arguing that citizenship should only go to people who have shown a “real commitment” to the UK, Tori Kemi leader Badenoch has called on the government to make it difficult for immigrants to provide permanent residence or passport in the UK.

Badenoch said: “The Conservative Party is under a new leadership. We will tell the firm truths about immigration.

“The rate of immigration was too fast and the numbers were too large for meaningful integration. We need to slow down the citizenship track. The UK’s passport must be a privilege, not an automatic right. “

In addition to summoning the amount of time, immigrants must live in the UK before they are entitled to indefinite leave to stay (ILR) to be doubled from five years to 10, conservatives said those with ILR should wait five years , not one before they can apply for citizenship.

Conservatives also called for new conditions to be imposed on anyone applying for ILR.

This will include candidates who should show that they have never asked for benefits or have used social housing, have no criminal record and will be a “net contribution” to the UK economy.

Most work visas come with a “no resort to public funds”, preventing immigrants with these visas to request benefits or use social housing, and in many cases a criminal record will delay or prevent someone from receiving ILR.

In an interview with BBC, Badenoch refused to put a figure on how much her proposal would reduce immigration, saying that it was “the right thing to do.”

The announcement, in which the party also called for further restrictions on who was eligible for ILR, comes when conservatives try to restore their support with a difficult message for immigration.

It also comes as parliament is preparing to discuss the government’s border security bill, asylum and immigration next week, which conservatives have said they need to be amended to include their proposals.

Damla Orel, the Minister of Border Security, said the Conservatives “lost control of our borders” for 14 years in power.

She said: “After 14 years of shameful failure of Tori, no one will take anything seriously that they claim or promise now.

“Many of the things they say already exist or are turning the policies that have been presented in recent years, a sign of how chaotic they are.

“They had 14 years to deal with the system and instead created the chaos that labor is now cleared.”