With the future of UK immigration more uncertain than ever, now may be the time to apply for British citizenship and protect your rights.
As it stands, a person with Indefinite Leave to Remain (“ILR”) or settled status can generally apply for British citizenship once they have held that permanent status for at least 12 months, subject to meeting other requirements.
As we covered last year, Reform UK have said that they would increase the average wait time for British citizenship to 7 years total. On the face of it, that may in fact be a more generous position than that proposed by the current Labour Government, who are planning to increase the standard qualifying period for ILR to 10 years.
Unless you are eligible for a reduction in the ILR qualifying period (by virtue of your annual taxable income, for example), then you would have to wait 11 years to apply for British citizenship under the current Government’s new rules. You can read more about the proposed changes to ILR here.
That said, it is expected that Reform may impose other, tougher barriers to obtaining citizenship beyond mere timescales, though we do not yet have the detail on what these may involve.
However, for those who already, or will soon, have ILR, it is Reform’s other proposals that will be of more concern. In particular, Reform have stated that they will scrap ILR entirely, including rescinding it from those who currently hold the status. It has been suggested that Reform will replace ILR with a new visa, requiring a minimum annual salary of £60,000.
Because of this, hundreds of thousands of people with ILR could suddenly have their (supposedly permanent) residence rights revoked and be forced to leave the UK (unless they can demonstrate annual income at these high levels). We expect that the rumoured £60,000 salary threshold may also end up applying to citizenship applications, as it would seem strange if Reform were to impose this requirement on impermanent visas but not on permanent residence and nationality.
Therefore, in the event that Reform UK form the next government, someone who currently has ILR and who would be eligible to apply for citizenship under the current rules could suddenly find themselves not only unable to apply for citizenship but also without any rights of residence in the UK at all!
It would seem then that the only way to protect permanent residence rights in the UK is to apply for British citizenship before Reform are able to scrap ILR.
At the time of writing, Reform UK have led every single General Election poll conducted since May 2025. While the next General Election is not expected until 2029, we would recommend reviewing your position and asking yourself:
- Am I eligible for ILR?
- Will I still be eligible for ILR in April/May 2026, when the Labour Government’s proposed changes to the qualifying period are expected to come into force?
- If I already have ILR, am I eligible for British citizenship now?
- If not, when will I become eligible for British citizenship?
Although a Reform government may seem a long way off, we would urge people to start asking these questions and figuring out a plan for their future in the UK.
If you would like any advice or support in determining your position and rights, or with preparing or submitting any applications, please do get in touch at [email protected]
