A research manager who moved from Brazil to the UK says Nigel Farage’s plan to abolish indefinite leave to remain (ILR) would make it impossible to plan a future in the country.
Brener Seixas pays taxes through his above-average salary in London, while contributing to society through a housing association co-operative in Lewisham, as well as to the arts with a Brazilian film festival he is holding next month.
Despite now living in the UK for four years and preparing to apply for ILR status in March, the 41-year-old said Reform UK’s radical policy on migrants had left him feeling insecure on this future.
Announced officially at a press conference on Monday morning, Mr Farage said his party, which is ahead of Labour in some polls, would abolish ILR and force non-EU migrants to renew their visa every five years.
Under the crackdown, which Mr Farage claimed would save £234 billion through welfare and housing, applicants would have to meet certain criteria, including a higher salary threshold and better standard of English.
Those with UK citizenship status would not be affected.
However, the plans have been met with outcry from charities, campaigners and politicians, as well as those who would be affected, including Mr Seixas.
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Speaking to The Independent, he said: “The proposals to scrap ILR and force people like me to reapply repeatedly for the right to stay don’t just change rules on paper, they make me feel like a guest who can be asked to leave at any time, no matter how much I’ve invested in this country.”
Mr Seixas first arrived in the UK from his home city Belo Horizonte in 2019, after being picked from 7,500 applicants for a scholarship to study a masters in sociology at London School of Economics and Political Science.
After graduating, he went back to Brazil and got a job at his London-based employer, before returning to the UK after the Covid pandemic in 2021 on a limited leave to remain (LLR) status.
After four years on the LLR, he can apply for the ILR next year.
As well as working in London, he volunteers at the Sanford Housing Co-op, and is behind the Mostra do Filme Marginal in the capital next month.
He said: “It [Reform’s plan] creates constant insecurity.
“I studied here, found work, and followed every rule – yet the idea that ILR could be revoked or visas endlessly renewed makes it impossible to plan normal things like travelling, having housing security, starting a family, or caring for relatives.
“My employer depends on international talent to deliver projects, but penalising companies for hiring from abroad only creates churn, lost productivity, and higher costs.”
He added: “Treating us as disposable undermines social cohesion and sends a message that we don’t belong. We are neighbours, colleagues, and family. I am not a stranger; I’m part of the UK’s everyday story.”
Mr Farage’s plan comes despite net migration falling by half last year, according to figures from the Office for National Statistics. Some 431,000 migrants arrived during the period, compared to 860,000 the year before.
Of the migrants, 86 per cent came to the UK from non-EU countries, with the highest number coming from India, followed by Pakistan.
Also concerned about Reform’s plan are those who already have ILR. They would have their status ripped up and would need to apply for a LLR every five years.
Mish, who did not want to give her surname, was awarded her ILR this year, after five years during which she had to apply for LLR twice, spending £2,500 each time, plus solicitors’ fees.
The 33-year-old arrived in the UK from Mauritius as a victim of human trafficking. Now married and with a daughter, she works as a youth organiser at migrant and refugee support group Praxis.
“You almost never feel safe, just because there is always something else to worry about,” she told The Independent. “This all makes you feel very unstable. But this is my life, this is where I am. It is very unsettling, I’m worried for my and my family’s future.”
Migrants’ Rights Network has accused Reform of “adding fuel to the fire” by announcing its policy on migrants following this summer’s far-right demonstrations over the use of hotels for asylum seekers.
A spokesperson said: “It’s quickly becoming the norm for politicians to try and to outdo each other on anti-migrant rhetoric and policies.
“Reform’s announcement is an attempt to bait the Government into implementing even harsher immigration policies. We urge both the government and other political parties to push back and centre unity instead of division.”
