Mahmood scraps settlement plans for migrant care workers
The Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has scrapped plans to make foreign care workers already in the UK wait 15 years to qualify for permanent settlement.
Mahmood had proposed doubling the wait for indefinite leave to remain (ILR) from five years to 10 for most migrants, with some facing a 15-year wait. However, following a backlash from several Labour MPs, Mahmood revised the policy. Care workers who earn at least £25,000 a year and arrived in the UK before May 2025 will continue to qualify after five years.
The Conservatives argued that Mahmood's "U-turn" would cost taxpayers billions of pounds.
What were the planned changes to immigration rules?
ILR, also known as settlement, grants a person the right to live, work, and study in the UK indefinitely and apply for benefits and citizenship if eligible.
Last November, Mahmood announced plans to delay settlements due to concerns over the number of people reaching eligibility, following record post-Brexit net migration figures. The Home Office estimates that between 2026 and 2030, 1.3m to 2.2m people will settle in the UK, with a central estimate of 1.9m.
Mahmood faced criticism for proposing to apply these changes to migrant workers already in the UK, with Angela Rayner, the Housing Secretary, stating this would "change the goalposts". Several Labour MPs also described the retrospective approach as "un-British" and warned it could worsen the UK's skills shortage, particularly in the care sector.
In a statement to the House of Commons, Mahmood said settlement "should not be automatic, it should be earned". She added that those not meeting specific exceptions will be on a 10-year path to settlement status. This still affects many who expected to qualify after five years.
Mahmood also announced a five-year path to settlement for care workers who responded to the UK's call during the COVID-19 pandemic.