‘Only for meaningful people!’ Kemi Badenoch Vows to Make it Harder for Immigrants to Get British Citizenship

The United Kingdom Conservative leader, Kemi Badenoch, has vowed that she will make it more difficult for immigrants to get British citizenship.

While making one of her first policy announcements since she became leader, Badenoch said immigrants would only be able to apply for citizenship after being in the UK for 15 years.

Badenoch also declared that indefinite leave to remain, which paves the way for citizenship, should not be granted to those who have criminal records or who had claimed benefits or social housing.

While making one of her first policy announcements since she became leader, Badenoch said immigrants would only be able to apply for citizenship after being in the UK for 15 years.

Badenoch also declared that indefinite leave to remain, which paves the way for citizenship, should not be granted to those who have criminal records or who had claimed benefits or social housing.

According to her, citizenship was a privilege, not just a right and should only be for those with a “meaningful connection to the UK”.

Obtaining indefinite leave to remain, ILR gives people the right to live, work and study in the UK.

It is usually possible for a person to apply for ILR if they have worked in the UK for at least five years, although it can be two or three years if they came to the UK on particular visas.

Badenoch and Shettima

Recall that the Conservative Party leader last year made comments regarding Nigeria’s incessant insecurity and economical struggles.

Kemi Badenoch, although a Nigerian by decent was born in Wimbledon, London on 2 January 1980 and was raised in Lagos, Nigeria before she moved to her birth country in 1996.

Following her statement on Nigeria’s predicaments Nigeria’s Vice President, Kashim Shettima, asked Badenoch to remove Kemi from her name if she was not proud to be a Nigerian, instead of denigrating her heritage and her country of ancestry.

Last year, Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch stirred controversy with remarks on Nigeria’s deepening insecurity and economic woes, drawing sharp criticism from many, including Nigerian Vice President Kashim Shettima.

Badenoch, born in Wimbledon, London, on January 2, 1980, to Nigerian parents, spent her early years in Lagos before relocating to the UK in 1996. Despite her Nigerian heritage, her comments on the country’s struggles were seen as dismissive, sparking outrage.

Reacting to her statements, Shettima fired back, suggesting that if Badenoch was embarrassed by her Nigerian identity, she should abandon her native name rather than belittle the country of her ancestry.

Badenoch who spent part of her childhood in Lagos, had previously said that it was a city where “fear was everywhere”, The Telegraph of UK reported yesterday.

She has spoken frequently about the insecurity and corruption in the country and the experience of growing up under a military dictatorship.