Mahmood under fire over care worker settlement U-turn

Shabana Mahmood has announced the final version of her earned settlement reforms, cutting the planned 15-year wait for many foreign care workers to five years after pressure from Labour MPs and unions. The standard waiting period for indefinite leave to remain will double from five years to at least 10 years for most legal migrants. High earners can qualify after three years, while people earning more than £50,000 and certain public sector workers such as doctors, nurses and teachers can settle after five.

Under the original proposals, announced about a year ago, most legal migrants would have waited 10 years and lower-paid workers including care workers would have waited 15. The changes were to apply retrospectively to people already in the UK. Angela Rayner, now Housing Secretary, called them un-British and a breach of trust, and Labour MPs and unions pressed for changes. Mahmood said a consultation drew about 200,000 responses and that the final package was a fair settlement supported by the Prime Minister and the whole cabinet.

Care workers who arrived before May 2025, met their visa conditions and earned at least £25,000 a year will keep the five-year route to settlement, rather than waiting 15 years. Sky News reported that about a quarter of care workers would not meet the conditions and could apply for a new five-year care visa. The new rules also require a high standard of English, no criminal record and no unpaid debt, with Sky News reporting a requirement for three years of National Insurance contributions.

Refugees arriving through legal routes will be able to settle after five years. Those arriving by small boats face waits of up to 20 years, or up to 30 if they do not work or study. The government says the reforms will save billions of pounds and reduce the benefits bill, though it has not published a full cost figure. Sky News reported that Home Office forecasts now show 1.9 million settlement rights being granted between 2026 and 2030, up from 1.6 million under the original proposals, with about 560,000 people eligible in 2028 alone.

BBC One reported the impact on individuals. Ashfaq Junaid, a Bangladeshi chef working in Birmingham, said his earliest date for settlement had moved from 2028 to 2033 and that he cried when he heard the changes. Edith Dubey, a home care worker from Zimbabwe who arrived in 2022, said the five-year route was "a huge relief" and "a huge weight off my shoulders". ITV reported that John, a care worker from Nigeria, said the uncertainty had affected his mental health.

Chris Philp, the Shadow Home Secretary, accused Mahmood of caving in to the Labour left and said the U-turn would cost £10 billion. Reform also criticised the changes, while some Labour MPs said the retrospective element remained unfair. The Home Secretary rejected the charge, saying she had found a fair solution to the legacy of the previous Conservative government. ITV reported that Prime Minister Andy Burnham, at the Commonwealth summit in Antigua, said planned migration must follow gaps in the economy. GB News presenter Matt Goodwin called the changes "the great immigration betrayal".