<p>U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Monday announced a major immigration overhaul that doubles the residency requirement for citizenship and imposes stricter English language requirements, declaring settlement in Britain &#8220;a privilege, not a right.&#8221;</p>
<p>The new policy increases the residency requirement from five to ten years before migrants can apply for citizenship, with exceptions for those making a &#8220;high contribution&#8221; to the island nation.</p>
<p>The overhaul is being <a href="https://news.sky.com/story/new-english-language-and-british-citizenship-requirements-for-migrants-13365884">spearheaded</a> by Prime Minister Keir Starmer, promising English language requirements across every visa route, extending to adult dependents for the first time.</p>
<p>&#8220;We will create a migration system that is controlled, selective, and fair &#8211; a clean break from the past,&#8221; Starmer said at a press conference on Monday, per <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tw5oI3qJmFA">Sky News</a>. “When people come to our country, they should also commit to integration and to learning our language.&#8221;</p>
<p>The reforms come as net migration to the U.K. <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cg4vlyly0l2o">reached</a> record levels, climbing to 906,000 in June 2023 and standing at 728,000 last year, according to the BBC.</p>
<p>&#8220;That is what this White Paper will deliver: lower net migration, higher skills and backing British workers,&#8221; with the reforms estimated to cut migrant numbers by 50,000 annually.</p>
<p>Starmer accused industries of being &#8220;almost addicted to importing cheap labour&#8221; instead of &#8220;investing in the skills of people here and want a good job in their community.&#8221; He singled out engineering as a sector &#8220;where visas have rocketed while apprenticeships have plummeted.&#8221;</p>
<p>The government&#8217;s immigration White Paper reflects months of research and comes after Reform U.K. made significant gains in local elections, applying political pressure on Labour to address migration concerns.</p>
<p>While previously critical of Conservative immigration policies, Starmer now finds himself implementing restrictions that in some ways go beyond those proposed by his conservative predecessors.</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">If you want to live in the UK, you should speak English. That’s common sense.</p>
<p>So we’re raising English language requirements across every main immigration route.</p>
<p>— Keir Starmer (@Keir_Starmer) <a href="https://twitter.com/Keir_Starmer/status/1921872765428109714?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 12, 2025</a></p></blockquote>
<p>Conservative critics remain skeptical of Labour&#8217;s commitment to immigration control, as <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/live/ce810e3z6dkt?post=asset%3Ae2d3062c-3d44-4892-8559-94757c56adaa#post">polls</a> show increasing popular support for reduced immigration.</p>
<p>Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp dismissed the proposal, saying the idea that Starmer &#8220;is tough on immigration is a joke&#8221; and promised to push Parliament to introduce a binding cap on migration, which Starmer has declined to implement thus far.</p>
<p>Labour Party MP Sarah Owen, who chairs the Women and Equalities Committee in Parliament, <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/live/ce810e3z6dkt?post=asset%3A9a4b165e-3442-46ba-a81f-b0ea797d5317#post">slammed</a> Starmer from the Left, writing on Bluesky that the PM is &#8220;chasing the tail of the right&#8221; and is putting the U.K. on &#8220;a very dark path.&#8221;</p>
<p>Starmer <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/may/12/uk-risks-becoming-island-of-strangers-without-more-immigration-curbs-starmer-says">warned</a> that without &#8220;fair rules,&#8221; Britain risked becoming &#8220;an island of strangers, not a nation that walks forward together.&#8221;</p>

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‘Island Of Strangers’: U.K. Raises English Proficiency Requirements In Sweeping Immigration Overhaul