Explained: Nigel Farage's bombshell vow to expel hundreds of thousands of LEGAL migrants

Nigel Farage is set to unleash plans to kick out hundreds ofthousands of legal migrants in a move that would shatter Britain's current border system.

The Reform UK boss will reveal proposals to force all migrants holding permanent residency to reapply for visas under tougher rules that demand higher salaries and better English skills, reports The Telegraph.

The party would also rewrite the law to block foreign nationals from tapping into Britain's welfare system. Reform claims the shake-up would slash costs by £234bn over each migrant's lifetime. The news comes as Britain is handing a 'gift to China and Russia' by weakening the UK overseas according to this new report.

Writing in The Telegraph, Zia Yusuf, Reform's policy chief, revealed the changes would trigger "hundreds of thousands of people having to apply and ultimately losing their settled status in the UK" through a staged process designed to avoid business chaos.

He said: "Many of those who will lose their leave to remain are entirely dependent on the welfare state and will leave voluntarily upon losing access to benefits.

"Those that don't will be subject to immigration enforcement as part of our mass deportation programme."

Farage targets Boris Johnson's migration legacy

The announcement launches Reform's fresh assault on what they brand the "Boriswave" - 3.8 million people who entered the UK after Brexit under looser rules brought in by Boris Johnson's administration.

Farage will sound the alarm that "Boriswave" migrants will qualify for indefinite leave to remain (ILR) in January, handing them lifetime access to the NHS and welfare benefits that he brands "catastrophic."

The Reform leader will vow to axe ILR completely within 100 days of his party seizing power, forcing economic migrants to apply for visas under harsher conditions.

The Government refuses to publish figures showing how many migrants hold ILR status, but officials granted settlement to another 163,353 people in the year to June 2025 - up 18 per cent from the previous year. The total figure could top one million.

Sir Keir Starmer is under fire over his "one in, one out" migration deal with France, which has managed to deport just three people so far.

The Prime Minister has promised to cut net migration among legal arrivals to the UK, which dropped last year to 431,000 but remains well above pre-Brexit levels.

The announcement follows one of Britain's biggest Right-wing rallies, where around 100,000 protesters led by Tommy Robinson marched through London chanting anti-migration slogans.

Current system faces complete overhaul

Under existing rules, foreign nationals can apply for indefinite leave to remain after five years in the UK, then convert their settled status to citizenship after another 12 months.

But Reform's plans would force migrants to reapply for visas every five years, meet salary thresholds higher than the current £35,800 for skilled workers, and wait seven years before applying for a British passport.

Applicants would need to prove professional-level English fluency and demonstrate "good character" with clean criminal records. Anyone who spent more than 90 days outside the UK or claimed benefits would face a ban from remaining in the country.

Unlike the current system, Reform's new worker visa would deny settled migrants access to welfare or free NHS services, which the party says would save "well in excess of £230bn" over the average claimant's lifetime.

Yusuf warned that half of Boriswave migrants and their dependents don't work, creating a "financial disaster" for the UK when 800,000 people become eligible to claim benefits next year.

Declaring the "era of cheap foreign labour is over," he added: "Our nation is proud, resourceful, and resilient, but we have been suffocated by a political class that continues to betray the British people.

"For too long, the Tories and Labour have rolled out the red carpet for mass unskilled immigration, turning Britain into a food bank for the world."

Trump-style visa charges considered

The policy mirrors recent restrictions on economic migration in the US by Donald Trump, who has announced plans to charge $100,000 (£74,000) for skilled worker visa applications.

Yusuf has been tasked with preparing Reform's policy agenda before the next election, which the party believes could happen as soon as 2027.

Reform currently leads both Labour and the Conservatives by more than 12 points in opinion polls, and looks set to gain more seats in local and devolved government next May.

The party's immigration policy launch follows criticism of economic migration rules under Johnson, including attacks by Kemi Badenoch, the Tory leader.

The first statistics on benefit claimants' nationality, published by the Home Office in July, showed between 15 and 17 per cent of Universal Credit recipients are migrants.

Labour has said it plans to "toughen up the system" by doubling the time a person must live in the UK before gaining indefinite leave to remain, though the rules haven't changed yet.

Business concerns over worker shortages

Reform's policy is likely to face criticism from businesses that depend on foreign workers for cheaper labour.

The party says it would introduce a new "Acute Skills Shortage Visa" to fast-track migrants for sectors facing major job shortages, but any employer sponsoring such visas must pay to train a British worker in the same skills.

Wealthy foreign entrepreneurs would still be allowed to settle in the UK, and would receive new "golden" visas requiring investment in the British economy.

A Government spokesman said: "People here illegally rightly do not get anything from our benefits system.

"Foreign nationals usually have to wait five years to claim Universal Credit and we're looking at increasing this to 10 years.

"We inherited a broken welfare system and spiralling benefits bill. That's why we're taking action and reforming the system and have seen the proportion of Universal Credit payments to foreign nationals fall since last July."

Government defends current system

A Government spokesman said: "People here illegally rightly do not get anything from our benefits system.

"Foreign nationals usually have to wait five years to claim Universal Credit and we're looking at increasing this to 10 years.

"We inherited a broken welfare system and spiralling benefits bill. That's why we're taking action and reforming the system and have seen the proportion of Universal Credit payments to foreign nationals fall since last July."