On 22nd September, Nigel Farage announced Reform’s plan to scrap ILR altogether.
Instead, migrants will need to apply for a five-year renewable work visa with conditions
including a significantly higher minimum salary threshold.
Farage claims the change would save the government over £230 billion - a figure that
has been widely disputed. The estimate, published by a thinktank, represents a lifetime
total rather than an annual saving. Using the average UK life expectancy of 81 years,
the yearly impact is 2.8 billion, far lower than Reform has implied. How these savings
were calculated remains unclear, and its reliability has been questioned. The think-tank
has since said the figure should no longer be used. Regardless, when questioned by
reporters on this figure, Farage insisted it was “without a doubt too low”.
It remains unclear how the plan would affect pensioners with ILR, who would not meet
any salary requirement. Farage also failed to address the process for families with
British-citizen children, who could face separation or uncertainty if parents lose or
cannot renew their legal status. People from Ukraine and Hong Kong who moved to the
UK under government support schemes could also face uncertainty over their right to
remain.
Sunder Katwala, director of British Future, argues that revoking ILR after people have
settled is an immoral policy that “undermines the very idea of belonging in this country”.
The Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer, has called the plans “racist”.
"The Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer, has called the plans “racist”."
Under the proposed scheme, those who qualify would hold only temporary status,
subject to repeated renewal. This could leave people in limbo - able to work and pay
taxes, but never fully included, secure or settled. Renewal fees and paperwork would
create further financial and administrative barriers, while the constant threat of losing
legal status would cause stress and insecurity.
Such instability risks alienating people from society and making it harder for them to
contribute fully. The Institute for Public Policy noted that there is “no evidence that punitive citizenship
restrictions prevent irregular migration,” since these challenges arise only after people
have already built their lives in the UK. Policies like Farage’s are therefore unlikely to
deter migration - instead, they risk isolating people and undermining social cohesion.