Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood is poised to substantially reduce the scope of her immigration crackdown following significant opposition from within the Labour Party's left wing. Her proposals to extend the waiting period for low-skilled foreign migrants to gain 'settled' status in Britain have reportedly been rewritten.
Mahmood had previously warned that diluting the original plans would cost the taxpayer £10 billion and place further strain on public services such as housing and healthcare. She described weakening the plan as an "affront to the idea of fairness within our society." The full details of the revised policy are anticipated in a statement to the House of Commons on Monday.
The proposed changes triggered a substantial internal debate. Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp criticized the expected capitulation, stating, "She will now allow hundreds of thousands of low-wage and no-wage migrants to stay in the UK forever and claim benefits." He added that Mahmood's position appeared "increasingly untenable."
Under the original proposals, the qualification period for indefinite leave to remain (ILR) was set to double to a minimum of ten years. This period would have been extended to 15 years for those who had claimed benefits for up to 12 months, and to 20 years for those claiming benefits for over a year. Migrants who entered the UK illegally could have faced a wait of up to 25 years. However, key public sector workers like doctors and nurses, along with high taxpayers, were to have a shorter five-year qualification period.
Mahmood's initial plan aimed to mitigate the impact of an estimated 1.3 million to 2.2 million foreign nationals due to qualify for ILR between now and 2030, including many who arrived on a visa for care workers that was subject to widespread abuse. Housing Secretary Angela Rayner had indicated that the updated plan would be "fair" to foreign workers already in the country, particularly those in care roles.
In contrast, Philp outlined the Conservative plan for a ten-year route to ILR exclusively for high-wage workers, asserting that "No more low-wage workers should be allowed in, and those already here should be required to leave when their temporary work visa expires."