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Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood is set to reveal her final decision regarding changes to immigration rules for legal migrants in the upcoming week. Initially, she had suggested extending the qualifying period for permanent settlement from five to ten years, with some lower-paid workers facing a potential wait of up to fifteen years. However, it appears that revisions are underway, particularly affecting those currently employed in the social care sector.
Mahmood expressed concerns over the large number of individuals who would become eligible for permanent residency following a period of significant net migration under the previous administration. This has prompted debate within the government, with some opposing the introduction of new rules that would impact migrant workers already residing in the UK. Housing Secretary Angela Rayner criticized the proposals, calling them “un-British” because they aimed to alter conditions for people who had entered the country in good faith.
Under the initial plans, many lower-paid social care workers faced waiting as long as fifteen years before qualifying for permanent settlement, compared to the five years currently required. Recent indications suggest that those social care workers already living and working in the UK might be excluded from this extended waiting period. Nevertheless, the ten-year requirement is still expected to apply to most other workers unless they demonstrate strong community involvement or earn higher incomes, which could shorten the pathway to permanent residency.
The government’s consultation process on these immigration reforms has attracted around 200,000 responses, highlighting the issue’s significance. The Home Office declined to comment on Mahmood’s final decisions prior to their formal announcement to Parliament. Meanwhile, a Conservative party spokesperson criticized the changes, accusing Mahmood of yielding to pressure from Angela Rayner and more permissive MPs, dismissing the move as a disservice to British taxpayers who would need to support low-skilled and low-wage migrants. Indefinite leave to remain grants an individual the right to live, work, and study in the UK indefinitely, as well as access to benefits if eligible
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