Politics1 min read

Mahmood refuses to detail cost of revised settlement plans

By · Published by Everything Blog

In short

The initial proposal aimed to double standard settlement wait times from five to 10 years, which would have delayed residency for 799,000 migrants. Under the revised framework, the number of individuals affected has dropped to 517,000 following exemptions for specific care workers. Shabana Mahmood maintains the changes will still save billions from delays imposed on other sectors, though full costings are withheld until legislation reaches Parliament. Additionally, refugees arriving via unauthorized routes will face settlement waits ranging from 20 to 30 years.

Key points

  • The government will publish comprehensive financial details once the revised immigration…: The government will publish comprehensive financial details once the revised immigration proposals are officially brought before Parliament.
  • The standard settlement period will double to 10 years for most migrants, while doctors,…: The standard settlement period will double to 10 years for most migrants, while doctors, teachers, and high earners retain shorter pathways.
  • Conservative and Reform UK opponents have criticized the policy shift as an expensive con…: Conservative and Reform UK opponents have criticized the policy shift as an expensive concession that weakens projected government savings.

Sources checked by our analysis pipeline: 1

- Published

The home secretary has declined to specify how much scrapping her plan to make foreign care workers already in the UK wait longer to qualify for permanent settlement will cost.

Shabana Mahmood had originally proposed doubling the wait from five years to 10 for most migrants, with some facing a 15-year wait, which the Home Office suggested could save £10bn.

Under revised plans, some foreign care workers will wait five years and others will be able to seek a five-year extension, in what the Tories have called a "U-turn".

While not detailing the cost of the revised plans, Mahmood said the state would still save "billions" because workers in other sectors would have to wait longer.

In March, the Home Office said, external the net lifetime cost of care workers and their adult dependants expected to settle between 2026 and 2030 was estimated at £10 billion.

Mahmood announced plans to delay settlements last November in response to concerns over the number of people approaching eligibility in the wake of record post-Brexit net migration figures under the previous Tory…

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