UK Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch has proposed that immigrants must wait at least 15 years before becoming eligible for British citizenship.

The policy which she's pushing for hopes to tighten the immigration system by extending the period before migrants can apply for indefinite leave to remain (ILR) from five to ten years.

Badenoch also announced plans to bar those who claim benefits, access social housing, or have criminal records from settling in the UK permanently.

“I want to reduce immigration and make living here actually mean something. We need to change the way our immigration system works. So I am announcing that the conservative party is going to do the following things differently: 1. If you want to stay in our country permanently and apply for indefinite leave to remain, the time you have to live here before you apply would increase from 5 years to 10 years. 2. You will have to be a net contributor with a high enough salary, especially if you want to bring family members with you. And if you have a criminal record, you are banned.

“We would increase the time you can apply for a British passport from 12 months to 5 years, meaning it will take a minimum of 15 years to start an application. If you enter this country illegally or overstay your visa, you will be banned from ever getting leave to remain or a passport,” she said in a video shared on her X, formerly known as Twitter, handle.

She also lamented that the current system allows immigrants to settle in quickly, thereby cresting a discomforting system.

The new policy may be an advantage for Nigeria which is currently seeking effort to stop the migration trend that has seen quite a number of its citizens migrate to the UK for school and greener pastures.

Increasing the period before British citizens eligibility to 15 years will definitely discourage many hoping to naturalize within a short period of arriving in the UK.

Badenoch was born in Nigeria where she had the early part of her life before moving to the UK.

She once stirred up controversy when she claimed that her effort as Tory leader is to ensure that the UK doesn't become like Nigeria.