Who voted to allow millions of foreign nationals to come to Britain and live at taxpayers’ expense?
In 2019, Boris Johnson’s Conservative government was elected on the promise to ‘get Brexit done’ and secure Britain’s borders. Instead, they betrayed voters by opening them to 3.8million migrants from the developing world between January 2021 and June 2024.
A Reform UK government will reverse this Boriswave of migrants who have been welcomed to Britain by both Tory and Labour governments – and put UK citizens first.
We have already made clear our plans to detain and deport thousands of illegal immigrants and stop the boats. That is the tip of the immigration iceberg.
Today, I can announce that Reform will go even further.
We will abolish indefinite leave to remain (ILR) status, which grants migrants the right to live, work and study in the UK permanently with full access to Britain’s health and benefits system.
This threatens to bankrupt our bloated welfare state.
A Reform UK government will reverse this Boriswave of migrants who have been welcomed to Britain by both Tory and Labour governments, writes Nigel Farage
Mr Farage says his party will abolish indefinite leave to remain status
We will rescind ILR statuses that have already been granted. We will also restore the treasured status of British citizenship.
Why is this so urgent? Starting from January 2026, if nothing is done to stop it, those 3.8million migrants will become eligible for ILR.
Let’s be clear, these migrants are not doctors, engineers or entrepreneurs. Many of those eligible for ILR never work and never will. Many are young and old dependants who followed family members here. They are now a burden on the welfare state.
Those who do work are largely low-skilled workers used as cheap labour. Most rely on benefits. Last year alone the UK spent £9billion on welfare for foreign nationals, who account for one in six of all those on Universal Credit.
The Tories and Labour have turned the UK into a foodbank for the world, at the expense of British taxpayers.
Under Reform, welfare will only be for UK citizens. No foreign nationals will be entitled to any benefits.
Our changes will save British taxpayers at least £234billion over the lifetime of these migrants. That is four times our total defence budget, or double what is spent on education.
Once we abolish ILR, foreign nationals who want to work here will have 180 days to apply for a tough, new five-year renewable visa. They will have no right to benefits or healthcare without insurance. And no right to bring dependants, unless they are high earners who can afford to keep them.
We are giving British business plenty of notice that the era of cheap foreign labour is over.
The age of a devalued British passport will also end. Reform UK will make it the best passport in the world once more.
We will extend the qualifying period for British citizenship from five to seven years, and ensure that it is earned through demonstrating long-term commitment to our country, not handed out cheaply to anybody who asks.
These changes will be a priority for a Reform government. Of course we will also leave the European Convention on Human Rights and scrap Tony Blair’s Human Rights Act, to close the legal loopholes that allow activist judges and lawyers to interfere on the side of the migration industry.
Only Reform UK can be trusted to take the side of the British people and put UK citizens first.
