Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has unveiled a revised package of immigration reforms, bowing to intense pressure from cabinet colleagues and backbench Labour MPs who threatened a revolt against her original, more stringent proposals.
While the updated policy marks a significant retreat from the government’s initial plans, the Home Office’s announcement still represents a radical hardening of the rules governing permanent settlement in the UK. The government’s revised approach creates a clear divide based on income: those on higher salaries will retain a swifter path to Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR), while low-to-middle income workers face a decade-long wait for security.
The most notable concession concerns the social care sector. Under the original proposals, many low-paid workers—including those who arrived in the UK expecting a five-year route to settlement—were set to face a 15-year wait for residency. Following fierce criticism from senior ministers, including Housing Secretary Angela Rayner, who described the retrospective nature of the plans as “un-British,” Mahmood has scrapped the 15-year requirement. Care workers earning at least £25,000 who arrived before May 2025 will now be eligible for ILR after five years.
However, despite these compromises, the impact remains sweeping. The number of workers facing delayed settlement will drop from the original 799,000 to 517,000, yet hundreds of thousands of migrants—including engineers, chefs, and architects—will still find their path to permanent residency doubled from five years to ten.
Marley Morris, associate director for migration at the Institute for Public Policy Research, warned that the government is still vulnerable to accusations of “moving the goalposts.”
“It is unfair that workers who were in the UK before these rules were raised in May 2025 are not protected,” Morris said. “Thousands will still face the shock of having to wait 10 years despite the rules saying they faced a five-year wait when they arrived.”
The new framework codifies a “pay-to-stay” hierarchy. Highly skilled migrants and those earning over £125,141 will qualify for settlement after just three years. Those earning over £50,000, as well as specific public service professionals—including physiotherapists, dental practitioners, and midwives—will retain a five-year path.
The government has remained unyielding, however, regarding refugees. Those arriving via irregular routes, such as small boats, will now face a minimum 30-year wait for permanent settlement. Only those using designated safe and legal routes will be exempt from this prolonged period.
Opposition figures were quick to attack the revised package. Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp branded the announcement a “U-turn,” while Labour’s Diane Abbott warned in parliament that the complexity of the changes could trigger a new, Windrush-style scandal, where legal residents are wrongly threatened with deportation due to administrative shifts.
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