Mahmood modifies migration plans
Shabana Mahmood changed her immigration plans on Monday to allow an estimated 280,000 care workers and their dependents to apply for indefinite leave to remain after five years. This decision follows pressure from health unions and cabinet members, including Housing Secretary Angela Rayner and Energy Secretary Miatta Fahnbulleh, who both resisted the original proposal to make care workers wait 15 years for settlement. While this provides a reprieve for those earning more than £25,000, Mahmood told MPs that many migrants will still face retrospective rule changes that force them to wait a decade for settlement. She told the Commons that settlement is one of the most valuable rights this country can offer and that those who do not play by the rules will face much longer waits. This policy remains a failed attempt at a total crackdown.
Settlement rules by income and status
The Home Office expects 500,000 migrants to wait longer than the current five-year period, though critics note that 1.4 million out of the 1.9 million migrants from the "Boriswave" surge remain eligible for settlement after five years. Most of the strict rules Mahmood drew up last year remain in effect.
| Migrant Category | Settlement Wait Period |
|---|---|
| Earners over £125,000 | 3 years |
| Earners over £50,271, doctors, nurses, and teachers | 5 years |
| Care workers earning over £25,000 | 5 years |
| Earners under £50,000 | 10 years |
| Refugees (general) | 10 years |
| Migrants arriving via irregular means | 30 years |
The new rules target specific income levels and arrival methods to control settlement. Those earning under £50,000 will see their wait double to 10 years, a change Labour MPs say will impact research scientists and chefs. Refugees face a 10-year wait, though those who arrive via safe and legal routes, such as the schemes for Afghan women and Palestinians, may avoid the harshest penalties. However, anyone who accesses public funds will not be eligible for settlement under the refugee rules. For those who arrive via small boats or irregular means, the wait for settlement reaches up to 30 years. Abtisam Mohamed, the Labour MP for Sheffield Central, said that retrospectively uprooting someone’s plans, sometimes made at the most vulnerable time in their lives, is unfair and she will press for those already here to be protected.
Political backlash and economic risks
Nigel Farage called the policy change the "beginning of the capitulation," while Diane Abbott warned that retrospective changes could turn residency rights "upside down" and create another Windrush scandal. Stella Creasy noted that thousands of people face 10 years of limbo and warned that the economic consequences of people leaving the UK will outweigh any savings in benefits. Unison general secretary Andrea Egan said the original plans were "morally bankrupt and a threat to public services," though the new five-year path for care workers proved welcome. The shadow home secretary, Chris Philp, said that Mahmood’s decision to allow a carve-out for care workers who arrived on the visa before May 2025 would cost the country up to £10bn. Prime Minister Andy Burnham endorsed the plans, saying the system should reward those who play by the rules. He argued that those in other roles should expect to wait longer while people who arrive illegally will face longer waits. Business groups like Make UK warned that the changes make it difficult to retain skilled workers. The CBI added that the exemption for some care workers risks higher costs for a small number of businesses without addressing the problem the policy was originally designed to solve.
