Member of Parliament for Windsor, Jack Rankin, has exposed the potentially colossal impacts of the present Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) policy on the British taxpayer.
Most migrants residing in the UK under the Work or Family visa route are eligible to apply for Indefinite Leave to Remain after five years – known as a qualifying period of legal stay.
Since 2021, the number of these visas issued to migrants rose significantly. In Home Office oral questions on Monday, Rankin warned the government that without changes, Britain could face a “ticking time bomb” of unprecedented costs.
According to the OBR’s figures, these would spiral upwards of £61 billion in benefits, social care, housing, healthcare and pensions for migrants, as more and more of these people become eligible.
In the Chamber, Rankin asked: “The mass import of low-skilled workers could cost the taxpayer more than £61 billion—a financial ticking time bomb. Will the Minister commit here and now to extending the qualifying period for indefinite leave to remain or bringing in new qualifying criteria?”
The Home Office Minister, Seema Malhotra replied: “The hon. Gentleman would do well to hold his own side to account for their record on net migration. The Government recognise and value the contribution that legal migration makes to our country. There is always a place for overseas recruitment for firms looking to grow, but it must not be the first port of call, and we must ensure that our migration system is controlled, managed and fair.”
Commenting after question time, Rankin said:
“Failure to act on the Indefinite Leave to Remain rules will bake in catastrophic policy failure and strike a harsh fiscal blow.
“We got it wrong. But instead of focusing on the past as the Minister did at the despatch box, the current government must act now to not lock-in this disaster.”
