Shabana Mahmood to Implement Tougher Rules on Migrants Applying for Leave to Remain

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood is set to announce that migrants should start proving their contribution to society to be allowed to stay in the UK.

In her speech for the Labour conference on Monday, Mahmood will enumerate a series of new rules migrants must meet to be eligible for indefinite leave to remain (ILR).

Migrants also need to be employed, pay national insurance and not claim other benefits.

The proposals include learning a high standard of English, having a spotless criminal record and having a record of volunteerism in their community to obtain permanent settlement status.

This policy draws a clear line between the government and the plans of Reform UK, which calls for abolishing the ILR.

Attempt to Persuade Voters' Trust

The upcoming announcement comes days after Reform UK's Nigel Farage revealed plans to scrap ILR, which put tens of thousands of migrants who have legally settled in the UK at risk of deportation.

This proposal was branded by Prime Minister Keir Starmer as 'racist' and 'immoral' on Sunday morning.

Mahmood's speech is part of the government's attempt to persuade voters' trust regarding its migration policy, especially since Reform is currently doing well in the polls and on track to get the most parliamentary seats if there is an election.

However, critics are skeptical about Labour's new plans, with the Refugee Council claiming that the government is 'punishing refugees for needing help,' while the CEO of refugee charity Praxis, Minnie Rahman, accused the government of coming up with proposals that could build a 'two-tier society' on the 'very same day the PM finally distances himself from Reform UK's policies,' according to The Independent.

Mahmood's Key Messages at the Labour Conference

The Express UK predicts that the Labour leader will lay down her tough stance on how migrants can secure their lives in the UK.

'I am looking at how to make sure that settlement in our country – long-term settlement, indefinite leave to remain – is linked not just to the job you are doing, the salary you get, the taxes you pay, [but] also the wider contribution you are making to our communities,' she said in an interview.

Mahmood is also expected to relay her fears that 'patriotism, a force for good, is turning into something smaller, something more like ethno-nationalism.'

The home secretary will also justify that her strict policies on border security, fair migration, and safer streets are necessary to achieve an 'open, generous, tolerant' country.

It is also expected to hear Mahmood talk about the plight of her migrant parents upon arriving in the UK and her personal experiences while growing up in a migrant household.

Tory-Style Migration Views

The migration proposals from the Labour Party seem to adopt the views of the Tories, who declared in February that migrants could get the ILR grant after staying in the UK for 10 years, provided that they are regular 'net contributors' to the country's economy by earning more through their income than what they get from the government as benefits.

Details about Mahmood's migration proposal, including its requirements, could be discussed in a consultation later this year.