Major immigration crackdown unveiled by Keir Starmer - with huge change to citizenship rules

Keir Starmer will announce plans to make it harder for people to permanently settle in the UK as part of a major immigration crackdown.

People will need to live in Britain for a decade before they can apply for citizenship rather than the current five year threshold. However, high-skilled workers such as nurses, doctors, engineers and AI leaders could be fast-tracked under the plans, No10 said.

English language requirements will be tightened across all visa routes - and all adult dependents will be required to demonstrate a basic understanding of English.

The Prime Minister will declare a "clean break from the past" as the long-awaited immigration white paper is published on Monday.

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The Government is battling to slash net migration - the difference between people arriving in the UK and leaving it - which ballooned to 728,000 in 2024 despite a string of Tory PMs promising to get numbers down.

It comes as seeks to neutralise the threat from after Reform UK swept to power in 10 councils in England and snatched a by-election win in Labour-held Runcorn and Helsby by six votes.

But the strict crackdown is likely to be controversial - with care providers branding a ban on overseas recruitment "cruel".

Under the plans, skilled foreign workers will need a degree to get a job in the UK unless they work in critical sectors like IT and construction.

Care homes will be ordered to recruit from the UK as a dedicated visa route will be closed.

Deportation rules will be reformed so the Home Office is notified of all foreign nationals convicted of offences, which officials say will make it easier to remove people who commit offences.

Mr Starmer will say: “Every area of the immigration system, including work, family and study, will be tightened up so we have more control.

"Enforcement will be tougher than ever and migration numbers will fall."

He will promise to create a system that is controlled but fair, recognising those who contribute to Britain while "restoring common sense and control to our borders".

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The PM will add: “This is a clean break from the past and will ensure settlement in this country is a privilege that must be earned, not a right.

"And when people come to our country, they should also commit to integration and to learning our language.

“Lower net migration, higher skills and backing British workers – that is what this White Paper will deliver.”

On Sunday, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said she was aiming for a "substantial" reduction in net migration figures but refused to set a Tory-style target.

She said: "We're not going to really failed approach, because I think what we need to do is rebuild credibility and trust in the whole system."

Ms Cooper said around 50,000 fewer lower skilled visas would be approved next year due to changes to the skilled worker visa and the care visa.

She said the care sector needed to end the reliance on overseas staff and companies would still be able to recruit from a pool of people who came to the UK on care visas for jobs that did not exist.

Over 470 rogue care providers have had their licence to sponsor international staff suspended since 2022.

The Home Office estimates around 40,000 workers have been displaced, who will be able to rejoin the workforce.

Ms Cooper added: "We're doing it alongside saying we need to bring in a new fair pay agreement for care workers."

But the move was branded a "crushing blow to an already fragile sector", as care operators warned the move could deepen staffing shortages, risking harm to older and disabled people.

The Homecare Association said the sector was struggling to fill over 130,000 vacancies - despite more than 185,000 overseas recruits who joined the workforce between 2021/22 and 2023/24.

Chief Executive Dr Jane Townson said: "We urge the government to consult with the sector and agree interim measures allowing care providers to recruit sufficient staff.

"Otherwise, we risk repeating the chaos of 2021, when care shortages increased hospital admissions, delayed hospital discharges and left thousands without the help they needed.”

Martin Green, Care England's chief executive, accused the Government of "kicking us while we're already down".

"For years, the sector has been propping itself up with dwindling resources, rising costs, and mounting vacancies," he said. "International recruitment wasn't a silver bullet, but it was a lifeline.

"Taking it away now, with no warning, no funding, and no alternative, is not just short-sighted - it's cruel."

Unison General Secretary Christina McAnea said: "The and the care sector would have collapsed long ago without the thousands of workers who've come to the UK from overseas."

She urged ministers to get on with fixing social care funding and implementing a promised fair pay agreement.

She added: "Politicians must stop describing care jobs as low-skilled. They are anything but that."

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