LONDON (SADAESACH NEWS): British Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has announced a partial relaxation of the government’s proposed immigration reforms following strong opposition from cabinet colleagues and health-sector unions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Under the revised proposals, care workers will be allowed to apply for Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) after five years of residence in the UK, benefiting an estimated 280,000 workers and their dependants.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
According to The Guardian, care workers earning more than \u00a325,000 annually and who arrived on the relevant visa before May 2025 will qualify for the five-year settlement route.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
However, most of the government’s tougher immigration proposals remain unchanged. Migrants earning less than \u00a350,000 a year will generally face a 10-year qualifying period for permanent residency instead of the existing five years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Those earning more than \u00a350,271 annually, along with certain public-sector professionals, including doctors, nurses and teachers, will remain eligible for settlement after five years. The highest earners, with annual incomes exceeding \u00a3125,000, will be able to qualify after just three years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The government also plans to retain stricter provisions for migrants entering the UK through irregular routes, including small boats. In certain cases, the settlement waiting period could extend to 30 years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Refugees will generally face a 10-year settlement period, while additional penalties are proposed for those entering through irregular routes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Addressing MPs in the House of Commons, Mahmood said permanent residency should no longer be treated as an almost automatic entitlement but must be earned through contribution, eligibility and compliance with immigration laws.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The proposed retrospective application of the new rules has triggered criticism from several Labour MPs. Former shadow home secretary Diane Abbott warned that changing the residency expectations of people who had entered and worked legally in Britain could risk creating another Windrush-style controversy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Amnesty International also criticised the proposals, arguing that migrants and their families had built their lives around previously established government requirements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Business organisations have warned that the changes could make it harder for British companies to retain skilled international workers, potentially pushing valuable talent towards countries offering more predictable immigration pathways.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The British government estimates that around 500,000 migrants could face longer waiting periods for permanent settlement under the revised immigration framework.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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LONDON (SADAESACH NEWS): British Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has announced a partial relaxation of the government’s proposed immigration reforms following strong opposition from cabinet colleagues and health-sector unions. Under the revised proposals, care workers will be allowed to apply for Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) after five years of residence in the UK, benefiting an […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2649,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_eb_attr":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[14,11],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2648","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-britain-and-europe","category-latest"],"yoast_head":"\n