With all due respect, I think you've misunderstood it. As I've grasped the speech (and mind you, this without having seen the document itself), this green paper is essentially a re-naming exercise.teekay_tk wrote:i have very difficultly swallowed the 4-5 year rule. if ilr is made 6 years, i'll pack my bags and leave now. this is very unwelcoming attitude from the gov
The initial five years on HMSP/WP/Ancestry doesn't change. After completing five years, a person may apply for ILR as per usual. If the person never intends on becoming a UK citizen, s/he can maintain this status forever, provided they don't abandon the UK or are divested of the status by the Home Secretary.
However for those intending to progress to British citizenship, the ILR period now takes upon the additional nature of being "probational citizenship". After possessing this status for a minimum of one year, you can apply for UK citizenship. If you don't do saintly deeds, you might have to wait a little longer.
So essentially if you're a good Johnny Foreigner, you can still become British after six years (employment route) or three (family reunion). It just takes longer or won't happen if you aren't. The most significant difference between the new ILR/probationary citizenship and the status quo is that it seems that benefits will only be accessible to full UK citizens. Not to ILR holders, as is the present case. So that is a major change. I would reckon it may be a pull for long-term ILR holders now to apply for naturalisation.
But I must say, a pox on David Davis for wanting the new ILR/probationary citizenship to be five years minimum. That would be horrible, and would mean that even the best little migrant would have to wait at least ten years before applying for naturalisation. With that in mind, the Labour bunch may be the lesser of two evils.
KEEP IN MIND: This is still being debated. No one has any solid idea when or the extent to which all of this would come into force. As a best guess, I would say that applicants for citizenship around Summer 2009 may be the first to be impacted. But again, that's just my guess!