Mahmood Revises UK Settlement Rules for Migrant Care Workers

Britain's government has revised its proposed immigration settlement rules after opposition from Labour lawmakers, preserving a five-year route to permanent residency for certain migrant care workers already living in the country. Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood announced the changes in the House of Commons on November 3, 2026, following disagreements within the governing party over the financial and social consequences of the original proposals.

Under the revised arrangements, care workers who arrived before May 2025 and earn at least £25,000 annually can qualify for indefinite leave to remain (ILR) after five years. The original proposal would have required many workers in the sector to wait 15 years.

The changes reduce the estimated number of people whose settlement applications will be delayed from approximately 799,000 to 517,000, according to figures reported by the BBC. Around 500,000 people will still face longer waiting periods under the revised policy.

Mahmood maintained that the broader immigration reforms would remain in place despite the concession to care workers.

"Settlement should not be automatic, it should be earned," Mahmood told Parliament.

She also explained that the government intended to recognize workers who supported the country during the COVID-19 pandemic.

"Those who earn £25,000 a year working in the social care sector, which was the condition of their visa, will therefore be able to settle on their existing five-year path," Mahmood said.

She added that workers who no longer meet their visa conditions could apply for another five-year visa before seeking settlement.

"Those who are net contributors are encouraged to come to this country and stay here," Mahmood said.

Mahmood also cited projected reductions in public spending as a justification for the wider reforms.

"As a result, the Department for Work and Pensions estimates that our reforms will reduce the benefits bill by billions of pounds," she said.

The revised framework introduces different settlement periods depending on income, occupation and immigration circumstances. Most migrants earning less than £50,000 annually will face a 10-year route, while higher earners and certain professionals in healthcare and education can qualify after five years.

People earning more than £125,000 annually will be eligible to apply after three years. Refugees who entered through unauthorized routes, including small boat crossings, could face waiting periods of 20 years if they work or study and 30 years if they do not.

Several groups, including Hong Kong British Nationals Overseas, members of the armed forces, people with British connections and applicants covered by legacy routes such as the Windrush scheme, will retain their existing settlement arrangements.

The dispute over retrospective changes had become a significant source of tension within Labour. Housing Secretary Angela Rayner previously criticized the proposal because migrants who had arrived expecting to qualify after five years could subsequently face longer waiting periods.

Rayner described the approach as "un-British" and warned against changing "the goalposts". Her criticism, repeated during the Labour Party conference in September, reflected wider concerns among Labour lawmakers about the consequences for workers and the care sector.

Other Labour figures, including Rachael Maskell, John McDonnell and Diane Abbott, also questioned the retrospective element of the reforms. However, some lawmakers representing areas supportive of Brexit favored maintaining a tougher immigration position.

Following the announcement, one Labour critic acknowledged that pressure from lawmakers and trade unions had secured a "big win" for social care workers, although concerns remained about constituents affected by the wider restrictions.

A source at Number 10 praised Mahmood's "take no prisoners" performance in Parliament and said she had "found the right balance" between maintaining immigration controls and addressing concerns within Labour.

Prime Minister Andy Burnham also expressed support for an immigration system emphasizing enforcement and individual contribution.

"People want to see an immigration system based on control, contribution, and which rewards those who play by the rules," Burnham said, according to The Guardian.

Mahmood declined to confirm whether Burnham had personally requested changes to the original proposals. She also did not provide a specific estimate of the financial consequences of the concessions.

According to the BBC, the Home Office previously estimated that the lifetime cost of 117,000 foreign care workers expected to settle between 2026 and 2030 would reach £4.2 billion. Including adult dependants would increase that estimate to £9.5 billion.

Mahmood said the revised arrangements would still save billions because migrants in other occupational categories would face longer settlement periods. She promised that an updated financial assessment would be published in a subsequent announcement.

Conservative shadow home secretary Chris Philp criticized the changes as a significant "U-turn". He argued that reversing the original restrictions could create substantial costs for taxpayers and questioned Mahmood's earlier warnings about the financial implications of allowing care workers to settle sooner.

The government has separately reported that net migration added 2.6 million people to Britain's population between 2021 and 2024. Home Office projections indicate that between 1.3 million and 2.2 million people could obtain settlement between 2026 and 2030, with the central estimate standing at 1.9 million.

The Refugee Council also criticized the proposed 30-year waiting period for refugees who neither work nor study. Its representative Imran Hussain described the measure as "unfair and unworkable".

"The fairest reforms would be making fast and good quality asylum decisions, with those refugees granted protection being helped to rebuild their lives and to contribute, and those with no right to remain helped to leave with dignity," Hussain said.

The changes leave the retrospective application of the wider settlement reforms intact, despite the concessions secured for qualifying migrant care workers.