Starmer gets tough on migration, doubles UK citizenship wait time

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Monday unveiled a tough new set of policy measures, including doubling the wait time for migrants seeking citizenship from five to 10 years, to ensure that immigration figures fall significantly over the next five years.

Addressing a press conference from Downing Street ahead of the Labour Party government’s much-anticipated Immigration White Paper being tabled in parliament, Starmer blamed the previous Conservative Party administration for leaving behind a “mess” of an “open borders experiment”. He went on to pledge that his government’s tighter measures would create an immigration system that is “controlled, selective and fair”.

“Make no mistake, this plan means migration will fall. That is a promise,” said Starmer. “Every area of the immigration system — work, family and study — will be tightened up so we have more control. Fair rules must be followed,” he said, with reference to the White Paper.

The new system will end the current mechanism of automatic settlement and citizenship for anyone, including Indians, living in the UK for five years. Instead, all migrants must spend a decade in the UK before applying for permanent residency, unless they can show a “real and lasting contribution to the economy and society”. Under this new framework to be rolled out, “high-skilled and high-contributing” individuals, such as “nurses, doctors, engineers and AI leaders”, who contribute to the UK economy, will be fast-tracked.

The new rules will also toughen language requirements across every immigration route to ensure a higher standard of English.