Kemi Badenoch under fire over 15-yr-wait proposal for British citizenship
The United Kingdom Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch sparked outrage among Nigerians on social media on Thursday after proposing a stricter immigration policy that would extend the waiting period for British citizenship to 15 years.
Badenoch shared a video on her X (formerly Twitter) account on Thursday, outlining her plan to reform the UK immigration system.
She announced that the Conservative Party would implement significant changes in the country’s immigration policy.
According to her proposal, immigration reforms will include extending the waiting period for Indefinite Leave to Remain from five to ten years.
Additionally, immigrants will now have to wait five years after obtaining ILR before applying for British citizenship, increasing the total process to at least 15 years.
Badenoch’s proposal also introduces stricter restrictions on eligibility. Individuals with criminal records, those dependent on social housing, or those claiming benefits will be permanently barred from settling in the UK.
Furthermore, anyone who enters the country illegally or overstays their visa will be banned from ever obtaining leave to remain or British citizenship.
She said in part, “I want to reduce immigration and make living here actually mean something. We need to change the way our immigration system works.
“If you want to stay in our country permanently and apply for Indefinite Leave to Remain, the time you have to live here before you apply would increase from five years to 10 years.
“You will have to be a net contributor with a high enough salary, especially if you want to bring family members with you. And if you have a criminal record, you are banned.
“We would increase the time you can apply for a British passport from 12 months to five years, meaning it will take a minimum of 15 years to start an application. If you enter this country illegally or overstay your visa, you will be banned from ever getting leave to remain or a passport.”
The proposal immediately drew backlash, particularly from Nigerians, who form a significant portion of the UK’s migrant community, arguing that the proposal was excessive and unfair to hard-working immigrants seeking stability.
@MESIGO422 wrote, “They ask her how she got her own citizenship and why she has decided to make it harder for the people in the UK. Tomorrow, if people decide to leave the UK, the country will be in a deep economic depression. Join us? Let’s make it clear—people will start seeing her as a wicked Nigerian woman.”
“Immigrants that benefited from the system are kicking against the system now,” stated @abbello110.
Rotimi Adeosun wrote, “This woman has a deep-seated hatred for immigrants. Her case is typical of the privileged few Yoruba describe as ‘keni-ma-ni.’ Those who have enjoyed a privilege, like herself (who entered the UK as an immigrant!), but now I want to burn the bridge for others. A sadist indeed!”
“She’s aiming to become PM of the UK and then using all this format as a stepping stone. Unfortunately, no matter all her condemnation of African immigrants, not only Nigeria can never work for her. Her tenth generation to come will surely suffer for it.” @twuyi swore.
@Adole007 wrote, “She (Badenoch) is more focused on immigrants than actually solving UK internal problems and doing her opposition work.“Why is it that it is immigrants that are always the problem of their fellow immigrants!”
This is not the first time Badenoch has faced criticism from Nigeria. Last year, Vice President Kashim Shettima condemned her remarks after she described the country as corrupt and dysfunctional.
