Interior Minister Shabana Mahmood is due to announce a settlement plan that would raise the standard wait for permanent residency from five years to 10, with some lower-paid workers facing up to 15 years.
Interior Minister Shabana Mahmood is due to present the plan later Monday. It would set 10 years as the standard period before a migrant could seek indefinite leave to remain, up from five years under the current system. Some lower-paid workers, including those in care, could face a 15-year period. Under existing rules, indefinite leave can also make people eligible for some welfare benefits.
The government says around 350,000 lower-skilled workers and dependants who arrived after Brexit are expected to qualify for settlement in the coming years. Official figures showed net migration at 171,000 in 2025, down from 331,000 in 2024 and a record 944,000 in 2023.
Junior Business Minister Chris McDonald said immigration under the previous Conservative government had become unsustainable. Speaking to Sky News, he said border controls should be paired with investment in young people’s training so more can take jobs without overseas recruitment. Prime Minister Andy Burnham endorsed the principle that settlement is “a right to be earned,” Reuters reported last week. Burnham has also praised foreign care workers, whose support helped his father in a care home.
Care-home businesses, unions and some Labour lawmakers say providers could face staff shortages if stricter rules discourage overseas workers from coming to Britain. The Guardian has reported that the government’s response could ease terms for some care workers already in the country, a question covered in EconoTimes’ earlier report on the expected response. Reuters also reported suggestions that some workers could be exempted or offered a faster route. A cross-party parliamentary committee warned in 2025 that the government lacked a full picture of how skilled-worker visas affect different sectors.
Reuters also described voter pressure for lower immigration and Nigel Farage’s Reform UK party as a major force behind calls for tighter controls. Mahmood is due to set out the reforms later Monday, Nov. 2.
