"We need legal migration, it is a good thing."
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has pledged reforms to migration law, with tougher rules on claiming indefinite leave to remain.
The status allows legal migrants to settle in the UK without renewing visas every few years.
The Home Secretary signalled that she believed migration “has been too high”, telling The Sun On Sunday that she “totally” understands why people have concerns about the issue.
Ms Mahmood added: “We need legal migration, it is a good thing.
“We are a country that has always welcomed people who want to come and work here.
“But I think in addition to living and working here there is a bigger thing to do as well, which is to make sure that people are making a contribution to their wider community and wider society.”
She said ministers are looking at how to ensure indefinite leave to remain “is linked not just to the job you are doing”, but also “the wider contribution you are making to our communities”.
Her stance comes as Reform UK leader Nigel Farage vowed to scrap the scheme entirely if his party wins the next general election.
Shabana Mahmood said securing the border is “fundamental to holding the country together”.
She warned:
“I know if I’m not able to get this mess sorted out, then there will be more division in our country.”
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer echoed her concerns in The Daily Telegraph, saying it was “essential” to address “every aspect of the problem of illegal immigration”.
He admitted: “There is no doubt that for years left-wing parties, including my own, did shy away from people’s concerns around illegal immigration.”
The Prime Minister has also unveiled a digital ID scheme aimed at tightening enforcement. The system would make digital IDs mandatory for the right to work by the end of this parliament.
It would require anyone starting a job or renting a home to display a digital ID on their phone, which would be checked against a secure database.
Starmer said the plan would “make it tougher to work illegally in this country, making our borders more secure”.
He added the scheme would “offer ordinary citizens countless benefits”, including easier access to driving licences, childcare and welfare services.
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