Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has announced a significant revision to plans that would have extended the waiting period for migrant care workers to gain permanent settlement in the UK. The initial proposal had faced widespread criticism, including from within her own party.

Under the revised policy, care workers earning at least £25,000 annually and who arrived in the UK before May 2025 will continue to qualify for indefinite leave to remain (ILR) after five years. This U-turn comes after Mahmood's previous announcement to double the wait for ILR from five years to 10, with some facing a 15-year wait, sparking a strong reaction.

The Home Office had initially proposed the extended waiting times in response to concerns about the increasing number of migrants approaching eligibility for settlement, following record post-Brexit net migration figures. The government cited figures indicating that net migration added 2.6 million people to the UK population between 2021 and 2024, with estimates suggesting between 1.3 million and 2.2 million people could settle between 2026 and 2030.

Mahmood stated that settlement should be "earned" and not automatic, but acknowledged the need for a "fair resolution for care workers." She indicated that approximately 500,000 people in the UK will now not settle at the five-year mark as originally planned, but will have to wait longer. The changes will move those earning less than £50,000 a year onto a 10-year path to settlement status, unless they are exempt.

The decision to apply the extended waiting periods retrospectively to migrant workers already in the UK drew sharp criticism. Housing Secretary Angela Rayner had previously stated that such a move would be changing the goalposts. Several Labour MPs also described the retrospective approach as "un-British" and warned of potential negative impacts on the UK's skills shortage, particularly within the crucial care sector.

Mahmood clarified that care workers who meet the £25,000 salary threshold and the conditions of their visa will remain on the existing five-year path to settlement. Those who do not meet these conditions can apply for another five-year visa and seek settlement thereafter.

Higher earners on salaries exceeding £50,000, along with professionals in healthcare and education such as doctors and teachers, will be subject to different settlement criteria, though specific details for these groups were not fully elaborated in the statement to the House of Commons.

The Conservative opposition criticized Mahmood's policy reversal, suggesting that the U-turn would result in significant costs to taxpayers, potentially amounting to billions of pounds. Indefinite leave to remain grants individuals the right to live, work, and study in the UK indefinitely and is a pathway to British citizenship.