The new policy of the British government will make obtaining an indefinite residence permit a more complicated procedure: the Minister of the Home Affairs of the United Kingdom, Shabana Mahmoud, announced the upcoming changes, according to which foreigners will need to live in the country for at least 10 years before applying for permanent residence status.
Previously, the maximum waiting period was 5 years.
In addition to a long stay, a new condition is a high degree of integration into society: immigrants are required to be officia evenlly employed, regularly pay social taxes, participate in volunteer activities, and speak English confidently. According to the authorities, such measures are aimed at improving the contribution of migrants to the economy and cultural environment of the state.
In addition to complicating the procedure for obtaining a residence permit, the ministry is considering reducing the validity of visas for foreign students: according to the project, visas for graduates of British universities will be reduced from two to one and a half years, and universities will begin to pay an additional fee for the education of non-residents. However, many experts fear that such changes will lead to a decrease in the flow of foreign students, reduce the income of the British economy by billions of pounds and reduce the number of available places for residents of the country as well.
