The revised immigration policy replaces a proposed 15-year settlement timeline with a five-year path to indefinite leave to remain for around 146,000 care workers earning over £25,000 and 136,000 dependants. Certain other below-degree roles, including approximately 100,000 chefs and butchers, will now follow a 10-year settlement pathway with opportunities for accelerated options. High earners making over £125,000 will gain settlement rights in just three years, while teachers, doctors, nurses, and individuals earning above £50,271 will qualify after five years. Meanwhile, irregular arrivals face severe conditions, including baseline waits of 20 to 30 years for permanent status.
Key points
The Home Secretary adjusted settlement policy in response to pressure from cabinet minist…: The Home Secretary adjusted settlement policy in response to pressure from cabinet ministers, Labour MPs, health unions, and care providers.
Highly paid workers earning over £125,000 and critical public service workers will benefi…: Highly paid workers earning over £125,000 and critical public service workers will benefit from fast-tracked settlement routes lasting three to five years.
Individuals entering the UK outside standard legal channels face far harsher penalties, w…: Individuals entering the UK outside standard legal channels face far harsher penalties, with waiting periods reaching up to 30 years.
Sources checked by our analysis pipeline: 1
Shabana Mahmood has softened plans to force low-paid workers to wait 15 years before settlement in the UK following a backlash from fellow cabinet ministers and backbench Labour MPs.
Under pressure from health unions to make an exception for care workers, the home secretary has moved to allow up to 300,000 people to apply for indefinite leave to remain after five years.
Most of the hardline plans drawn up by Mahmood’s office last year remain, including plans to force those who arrived in the UK by small boats to face up to 30 years before being able to apply for settlement.
In a revised set of proposals, the home secretary has said that care workers earning more than £25,000 will be able to apply for indefinite leave to remain after five years, a third of the time that was announced last year.
Under the initial proposals drawn up last year, workers in occupations below degree level (RQF Level 6) were categorised for an extended 15-year wait before they would become eligible for permanent settlement.
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