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Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has reversed her earlier plan to extend the waiting period for foreign care workers already residing in the UK to qualify for permanent settlement, scrapping the proposal that would have forced some to wait 15 years. Initially, Mahmood had suggested doubling the standard duration for indefinite leave to remain (ILR) from five to ten years for most migrant workers, with certain groups potentially facing an even longer wait. However, after pushback from numerous Labour MPs, the policy was amended so that care workers earning at least £25,000 annually who arrive before May 2025 would still be eligible for settlement after five years.
The opposition Conservative party criticized this reversal, claiming it would impose billions of pounds in costs on taxpayers. ILR, also referred to as settlement, grants individuals the right to live, work, and study in the UK permanently, along with access to certain benefits if eligible, and enables them to pursue British citizenship. Mahmood introduced the initial plan last November to delay settlement eligibility due to rising concerns about the number of people reaching settlement status amid record-high net migration following Brexit, a surge dubbed the “Boriswave.” When questioned by the BBC on whether she had backtracked, Mahmood responded, “I don’t accept that,” noting that about 500,000 people would now have to wait longer than five years to settle. She emphasized, “I’ve come to a fair resolution for care workers,” while underscoring that settlement “should not be automatic, it should be earned.”
Under the revised policy, those earning under £50,000 per year will now face a 10-year route to settlement unless exempted. Mahmood assured MPs that care workers who answered the government’s call during the Covid-19 pandemic and earn £25,000 annually—as stipulated by their visa conditions—will qualify for settlement through the existing five-year route. Those not meeting these visa conditions may apply for another five-year visa before seeking settlement. Mahmood also clarified that higher earners—such as healthcare professionals and educators with salaries over £50,000—can apply after five years, while individuals earning above £125,000 may qualify after three years. However, refugees who entered the UK illegally, for example via small boats, will face extended waiting periods: 20 years if working or studying, and 30 years if not.
The Home Office estimates net migration increased the UK population by 2.6 million from 2021 to 2024 and projects that between 1.3 million and 2.2 million people will settle from 2026 to 2030, with a central estimate rising to 1.9 million. Mahmood highlighted that the reform encourages those who make a net contribution to come and remain in the UK and predicted the Department for Work and Pensions would see a reduction in benefits expenditure by billions. Originally, the proposals would have delayed ILR for 799,000 people, but the revised plan reduces this number to 517,000. Among those affected is Ashfak Juned, a Bangladeshi chef in Birmingham, who expressed distress upon learning his wait for settled status might extend until 2033.
Certain groups will maintain their current settlement pathways, including Hong Kong British Nationals Overseas, members of the armed forces, individuals with British connections, and those under legacy schemes such as Windrush. The Refugee Council’s Imran Hussain criticized the proposal forcing asylum seekers who entered illegally and do not study or work to wait 30 years for ILR, calling it “unfair and unworkable.” He advocated for swift, quality asylum decisions and dignified treatment for all. On the political front, Conservative shadow home secretary Chris Philp blamed Labour ministers and the party’s “open borders left” for compelling Mahmood to revise her plans, asserting that she “is no longer running the government’s immigration policy.” Philp pointed to Home Office estimates projecting that 196,000 care workers and their adult dependents settling between 2026 and 2030 could cost taxpayers £9.5 billion over their lifetimes—a figure he described as the “cost of today’s U-turn.” Meanwhile, Conservative veteran MP Sir Edward Leigh criticized Philp’s party for the migration surge following Brexit, stating, “Some of us don’t have amnesia.”
Voicing concerns from other corners, Liberal Democrat home affairs spokesman Max Wilkinson argued the reforms are “unravelling,” warning that focusing solely on migration numbers and small boat crossings undermines the nation’s capacity for a meaningful immigration debate. Reform UK leader Nigel Farage accused Mahmood of abandoning her tough stance on immigration under pressure from left-wing Labour colleagues. He cited Home Office data suggesting over 200,000 immigrants arriving on Health and Care visas would be eligible for citizenship before the next election, costing taxpayers £50 billion during their lifetimes. Farage pledged to scrutinize the citizenship of care visa arrivals and proposed extending the citizenship qualifying period to at least ten years. Additionally, Green Party MP Siân Berry condemned the new immigration measures for creating “an obstacle course of hoops and barriers” for migrants in the UK. On the same day, the Institute for Public Policy Research underscored that skilled workers and their dependents expected to settle under current rules are projected to make a net lifetime contribution of approximately £115 billion through taxes
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