Home Secretary changes rules on UK migrant settlement after cabinet pushback

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has changed her hardline plans to make care workers wait 15 years to settle in the UK, but told MPs on Monday that many other migrants will still face rule changes to make them wait a decade. ## What Happened Under pressure from a cabinet pushback and health unions, the home secretary added an exception for care workers earning more than £25,000, allowing an estimated 280,000 people and their dependents to apply for indefinite leave to remain after five years instead of 15. However, most of the strict new rules drawn up last year remain in place. Migrants earning under £50,000 will see their wait double to 10 years, while highest earners making more than £125,000 will be able to settle in three years. Those earning over £50,271 and specific public service workers like doctors, nurses, and teachers can still settle after five years. Meanwhile, people who arrived by irregular means like small boats face up to 30 years before they can apply for settlement. Refugees face a 10-year wait, plus an extra 10-year penalty if they did not enter legally. Home Office figures show about 500,000 migrants will have to wait longer than five years under the updated plans, while 1.4 million others will remain eligible after five years. ## Reactions and Criticism The changes drew sharp criticism from opposition politicians and legal groups. The Law Society warned the shift threatens the rule of law by retrospectively undermining legal certainty. Reform UK leader Nigel Farage called the move the beginning of capitulation, while Conservative critics also voiced anger. Several Labour MPs, including Abtisam Mohamed and Diane Abbott, spoke out against the retrospective changes, warning they could lead to another Windrush scandal. Amnesty International accused the government of moving the goalposts for people who played by the rules. Business groups like the CBI and Make UK warned the policy will make it harder to keep skilled talent. On the other side, the prime minister defended the policy in parliament, stating that immigration must be based on control and contribution. Unison general secretary Andrea Egan welcomed the carve-out for care workers but noted that other requirements remain hard to meet. ## Context Indefinite leave to remain is the legal status that allows people to live and work in the UK without time limits, serving as the standard path to full citizenship. Governments frequently adjust settlement timelines and visa criteria in response to changing economic conditions, public sector demands, and political pressures over net migration levels.