Reform’s home affairs spokesman Zia Yusuf added: “A Reform Government will immediately launch a review into every citizenship granted by this Labour Government from this point on to anyone who has received a passport who would not have received one if Shabana Mahmood had not made her announcement.”
Ms Mahmood’s reforms will see most migrants wait 10 years before qualifying for indefinite leave to remain, double the current five-year period.
Indefinite leave to remain allows someone to live permanently in Britain, work and study without immigration restrictions and access the benefits system, subject to eligibility. It is not the same as British citizenship, although it can provide a route towards applying for it.
Migrants earning more than £50,271 a year will retain a five-year route to settlement, with special carve-outs for doctors, nurses and teachers.
However, migrants who arrive in the UK via small boat could face a 20-year wait for settlement, rising to 30 years for those who cross the Channel under the proposed arrangements.
Ms Mahmood stressed the longer waiting period is designed to deter migrants wanting to make the dangerous 21-mile journey.
