Proposed Changes to Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR)

I know this is a worrying time for many people in Islington South and Finsbury. In the past few months, many constituents have attended my surgeries to share their personal stories with me. Please know I am taking this issue really seriously.   

I want to thank those constituents who came to the mass lobby session in Westminster in March to share their concerns over the proposed changes to Indefinite Leave to Remain. Several members of my team, including my Immigration Caseworker, met with constituents and representatives from The Unity Project, Praxis, and Latin American Women’s Rights Service, to learn more about the potential consequences of these proposals. I also recently visited Islington Centre for Refugees and Migrants to hear how I can best fight on behalf of affected members of our community. 

This Government inherited an immigration and asylum system that is ill-funded and not fit for purpose. We must take action to remedy this. However, this needs to be done in a way that is fast and firm, but also fair. I am clear that any changes to Indefinite Leave to Remain should not be applied retrospectively. As your MP, I will always stand up for members of our community who have often made great personal sacrifices to come to this country and contribute to our society.

I worry that the reforms being currently proposed will only lead to more demonisation. By doubling the amount of time an immigrant, including those who have already been living here for years, must wait to get Indefinite Leave to Remain, you remove someone’s ability to have a stake in our country. Instead, it leaves them living precariously, in limbo. I will be doing the most I can to push the Home Office to consider the impact on migrant communities and will argue that we must prioritise fairness.