Senior faith leaders have spoken out today expressing “grave concern” at proposed changes to settlement and citizenship rules. In a letter published today in the Guardian the Bishops of Leicester, Kirkstall, Reading, Croydon, Bradwell and Edmonton joined rabbis and imams to urge the government to “rethink their proposals” – which would “make status more precarious and pathways [to citizenship] more distant”.
“Massive changes, to rules that could shape the lives of more than a million people in the UK for the next 20 years or more, should not be made in haste,” they argue.
The signatories say it is reasonable for the government to consider settlement reforms, “but their impact should be to strengthen integration and encourage contribution: not to make both harder to achieve.”
Under the proposed new rules, the qualifying period for settlement would double from the current five years to a default of ten. People on Skilled Worker visas who have been sponsored for jobs below ‘graduate level’ would have to wait for a default of 15 years. The changes would apply retrospectively to people who have already moved to the UK on the understanding that they had a five-year pathway to citizenship – prompting charges of unfairness that the government is moving the goalposts.
Campaigners fear that changes could be implemented within the next six weeks, after consultation closed on 12 February.
Sunder Katwala, Director of the thinktank British Future, who co-coordinated the joint letter with faith leaders and Citizens UK, said:
“The government has got these proposals wrong. Leaving people in limbo for a ten or fifteen-year period of ‘unsettlement’ will achieve nothing but damaging integration and community cohesion. This will have a massive impact on the lives of hundreds of thousands of people, so it should not be rushed through in haste. The government should slow down and rethink their approach to settlement, to ensure it is fair.”
Matthew Bolton, Chief Executive at Citizens UK, said:
“The government should not move the goalposts for those already on a pathway to settlement. They have played by the rules, built businesses, and served in our public services. Extending uncertainty and increasing costs would make it harder for families to stay afloat and risks pushing more children into poverty. Ministers should pause and test these plans properly, working with faith leaders, employers and community groups who understand the damage of such a retrospective change to the settlement pathway.”
The full text of the letter and signatories is as follows:
We write with grave concern about the government’s proposed changes to settlement and citizenship rules. We urge ministers to slow down and rethink their proposals, which currently contain serious flaws.
Massive changes, to rules that could shape the lives of more than a million people in the UK for the next 20 years or more, should not be made in haste.
There is already significant disquiet among communities, employers, faith groups and civil society that these measures would be damaging to integration. Stability, belonging and a clear pathway to citizenship are essential to building cohesive communities. Policies that make status more precarious and pathways more distant risk undermining that.
It is reasonable for governments to consider settlement reforms. But their impact should be to strengthen integration and encourage contribution: not to make both harder to achieve.
The government should pause, listen, and revise these proposals so they are fair, proportionate and consistent with the UK’s longstanding commitment to fairness and inclusion.
Right Reverend Arun Arora, Bishop of Kirkstall
Imam Qari Asim, Leeds Makkah Mosque
Right Reverend Adam Atkinson, Bishop of Bradwell
Rabbi Rebecca Birk, Finchley Progressive Synagogue
The Rt Revd Dr Guli Francis-Dehqani, Bishop of Chelmsford
Raymond Friel, CEO, Caritas Social Action Network
Rabbi Naomi Goldman, Kol Chai Reform Synagogue, Harrow
Right Reverend Dr Anderson Jeremiah, Bishop of Edmonton
Right Revd Dr Rosemarie Mallett, Bishop of Croydon
Rabbi David Mason, Executive Director, HIAS+JCORE
Right Revd Mary Gregory, Bishop of Reading
Right Reverend Martyn Snow, Lord Bishop of Leicester
