LONDON: Migrants seeking to settle in the UK will have to have a job, not claim benefits, and undertake community work under plans to be unveiled by the interior minister on Monday. Currently, those with family in Britain and who have lived there for five years qualify for &quot;indefinite leave to remain&quot; -- permanent residence -- as do those who have lived legally in the UK for 10 years on any type of visa. Major policy shift&nbsp;Eligible applicants meeting those thresholds also earn the right to live, work and study in the UK and to apply for benefits and British citizenship. But in a major policy shift, Interior Minister Shabana Mahmood was Monday to announce that migrants would have to make social security contributions, claim no benefits, have a clean criminal record and volunteer in their community in order to stay. Mahmood will outline the plans at the annual conference of the ruling Labour party, and the government will consult on the changes later this year, according to a press release from the party. &lsquo;Indefinite leave to remain&rsquo;The announcement comes shortly after the opposition hard-right Reform Party, which is currently leading in national polls, said it would get rid of &quot;indefinite leave to remain&quot; altogether, with migrants instead required to reapply for visas every five years. This would apply to the hundreds of thousands of people who have already attained leave to remain. &quot;These measures draw a clear dividing line between the Labour government and Reform, whose recent announcement... would force workers, who have been contributing to this country for decades, to leave their homes and families,&quot; said the Labour party statement. &lsquo;Racist&rsquo;Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Sunday called Reform&#39;s plan &quot;racist&quot;, adding it would &quot;tear the country apart&quot;. In her first speech to the Labour conference as interior minister, Mahmood will say that migrants should learn English to a high standard and that she will be a &quot;tough&quot; minister. Immigration is a key issue in the UK, and Mahmood will warn party members that a failure to tackle it will mean that &quot;working people will turn away from us... and seek solace in the false promises&quot; of Reform leader Nigel Farage. Finance Minister Rachel Reeves will also address the conference on Monday, when she will &quot;vow to invest in Britain&#39;s renewal&quot; and announce new plans to get young people in work, according to a Labour press release.&nbsp;

United Kingdom

The UK plans stricter rules for migrants seeking permanent residence, requiring employment, no benefits, volunteering, English proficiency, and a clean record, contrasting sharply with the Reform Party’s proposal to abolish indefinite leave entirely.

UK plans tougher rules for migrants seeking to stay in country

Ibrahim Zulfiqar

ISLAMABAD: The United Kingdom (UK) may suspend visa access for countries that refuse to take back deported nationals, Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said after hosting a key meeting of the &ldquo;Five Eyes&rdquo; security alliance in London. &ldquo;If countries don&rsquo;t play ball, we will take action, including possibly cutting visas in the future,&rdquo; Mahmood told reporters at a press conference. The Five Eyes summit brought together security ministers from the UK, United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. The talks focused on joint efforts to dismantle people-smuggling networks, tackle online child sexual abuse, and curb the spread of synthetic opioids. Mahmood emphasized that securing the UK&rsquo;s borders is her &ldquo;top priority.&rdquo; The UK already has migrant return agreements in place with countries including Albania, India, Vietnam, and Nigeria. Nations that fail to cooperate on deportations now risk visa restrictions for their citizens. So far this year, more than 30,000 migrants have crossed the English Channel in small boats. A figure Mahmood described as &ldquo;utterly unacceptable.&rdquo; Critics warn of diplomatic falloutOpposition politicians and migrant rights groups have warned that imposing visa sanctions could damage diplomatic relations and complicate forced removals. Still, Mahmood defended the approach, citing the scale of the migration crisis: &ldquo;I will do whatever it takes.&rdquo; Historic appointment, high stakesMahmood&rsquo;s appointment as Home Secretary is historic: she is the first Muslim woman and first British-Pakistani to hold the role. The milestone has drawn both praise and heightened scrutiny. As she moves to reshape UK immigration policy, Mahmood faces the dual challenges of delivering swift, visible results while managing the diplomatic and public pressures that come with one of Britain&rsquo;s most politically charged portfolios.

UK Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood warned that countries refusing to accept deported nationals could face visa suspensions

Articles tagged with "Shabana Mahmood"

UK plans tougher rules for migrants seeking to stay in country

UK mulls visa restrictions for countries that refuse migrant returns