ABUJA/LONDON — The United States Mission in Nigeria has vowed to clamp down on corruption by barring high-profile individuals implicated in graft from entering the US, while Reform UK has unveiled a radical immigration plan that would scrap migrants’ rights to permanent settlement after five years if it wins the next election.
In a post on X yesterday, the US Mission stressed that its anti-corruption stance would spare no one, regardless of status or influence.
“Fighting corruption knows no borders or limits on accountability. Even when high-profile individuals engage in corruption, they can be barred from receiving U.S. visas,” the Mission declared.
Meanwhile in London, Reform UK rolled out fresh immigration policies, pledging to abolish Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) — the current route that allows migrants to settle permanently after five years.
Under the party’s plans, migrants would instead be required to reapply for new visas every five years, subject to tougher conditions, including higher salary thresholds and stricter English language requirements.
Reform UK also vowed to bar non-British citizens from accessing welfare benefits, arguing that the move would save the UK £234 billion over several decades.
Party leader Nigel Farage defended the proposals, saying: “It is not for us to provide welfare for people coming in from all over the world. The UK should not be the world’s food bank.”
Chancellor Rachel Reeves dismissed the suggested savings as unrealistic, insisting the government was already reviewing migrants’ access to welfare.
The announcement marks Reform UK’s latest push against what it brands the “Boris wave” — a reference to the 3.8 million people who entered the UK under looser post-Brexit immigration rules introduced by former Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
Current government consultations are considering doubling the qualifying period for ILR from five to ten years, but Reform says its approach would go further, affecting hundreds of thousands of migrants already in the UK.
As of July, official figures from the Department for Work and Pensions show that 213,666 people with ILR were claiming Universal Credit benefits.
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