Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has softened immigration plans that would have forced low-paid workers to wait 15 years before settlement in the UK. The revision came after backlash from cabinet ministers and Labour backbenchers.
Under the revised proposals published Monday, care workers earning more than £25,000 can now apply for indefinite leave to remain after five years, down from the original 15-year requirement. This change affects an estimated 146,000 care workers and 136,000 dependants.
Most other hardline elements of Mahmood's plans remain intact. Skilled workers including butchers and chefs must wait 10 years before applying for settlement. Anyone arriving in breach of immigration rules faces a minimum 20-year wait. The most stringent requirements apply to refugees entering by small boat, who must wait 30 years for permanent settlement if reliant on public funds.
The original consultation proposed that workers in occupations below degree level would wait 15 years. Housing Secretary Angela Rayner described this requirement as "un-British" in June. Energy Secretary Miatta Fahnbulleh said the plans would have affected her family, who came to Britain as refugees.
Under current rules, highest earners (more than £125,000) can settle within three years. Those earning more than £50,271 and public service workers such as doctors, nurses and teachers can settle after five years.
Mahmood met union general secretaries on Monday to finalize details. An Institute for Public Policy Research analysis published Monday found skilled migrants due to settle under current rules were expected to contribute roughly £115bn to public finances over their lifetimes.