Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has significantly softened proposed immigration rules, abandoning plans that would have extended the waiting period for permanent residency for hundreds of thousands of foreign nationals, including nearly 300,000 care workers. The concessions came after a revolt within the Labour Party.
Under the revised measures, approximately three-quarters of foreign care workers who arrived in the UK post-pandemic will retain a five-year qualification period for settlement, or indefinite leave to remain (ILR), a reduction from the 15 years originally proposed. Those who do not qualify within five years will receive a new five-year visa and a second opportunity to meet the criteria for permanent residence.
The move has drawn criticism from opposition parties. Conservative MP Chris Philp accused Mahmood of a "substantial climbdown" under pressure from those he described as the "open-borders Left," estimating the cost to taxpayers at £10 billion due to welfare and public spending implications. He argued that even those who arrived fraudulently could now gain the right to stay permanently.
Tory leader Kemi Badenoch suggested Mahmood had been "humiliated" by the retreat, stating that the principle of longer waits for permanent status and benefits was reasonable and would have been supported by her party. Reform UK leader Nigel Farage called it a "major U-turn" that would be costly for the country.
Mahmood stated that settled status "must be earned" and that "those who contribute most will settle fastest." However, officials later suggested that the £10 billion figure referred to by Mahmood was outdated, with actual savings from the revised measures amounting to "a few billion" in welfare payments.
Opposition to the original proposals was voiced not only by Labour backbenchers but also by trade unions. Unison, Britain's largest trade union, claimed credit for forcing the Home Secretary to reconsider the stricter measures.
Some Labour MPs also expressed dissent even with the modified rules. Veteran MP Diane Abbott deemed the reforms "unfair" and drew comparisons to the Windrush scandal, while MP John McDonnell questioned extended settlement times for migrants arriving via small boats. MP Rachael Maskell described the changes as "prejudicial."