Britain’s Labour government plans to require some legal migrants to wait up to 20 years before applying for permanent settlement, Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood announced on Thursday. The move is part of a broader strategy to curb legal migration and follows recent changes to rules governing irregular arrivals. The dual tightening of legal and irregular migration rules comes as public support grows for the hardline Reform UK party, led by anti-immigration campaigner Nigel Farage, and amid concerns over pressure on overstretched public services. “To settle in this country forever is not a right, but a privilege, and it must be earned,” Mahmood — herself the daughter of immigrants — told parliament. The government had already signalled plans to double the qualifying period for Indefin

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