UK Home Secretary adjusts settlement rules for care workers after cabinet criticism

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said the government will allow up to 300,000 care workers earning more than £25,000 to apply for indefinite leave to remain after five years, a reduction from the previously proposed fifteen-year wait. The change comes after opposition from cabinet colleagues, backbench Labour MPs and health-sector unions.

The Home Office stated that workers in occupations below RQF Level 6 will no longer face the fifteen-year route; instead they will qualify after ten years if they meet strengthened requirements, with the possibility of an accelerated pathway for those who demonstrate a significant contribution. About 146,000 care workers and 136,000 of their dependants are expected to use the five-year route.

Other categories retain longer qualifying periods. Approximately 100,000 skilled workers such as butchers and chefs will need ten years before applying for settlement. Individuals who arrive in breach of immigration rules will face a minimum twenty-year wait. High earners (£125,000+ annually) may settle after three years, while those earning over £50,271, including doctors, nurses and teachers, will be eligible after five years.

Refugees entering via small boats and relying on public funds will face a minimum thirty-year wait for permanent settlement, with limited exceptions for those arriving through designated safe routes. Those who claim asylum after entering legally could wait up to twenty years, potentially reduced to ten years with sustained work or study.

The revised proposals follow criticism from trade unions, care providers and senior Labour figures such as Housing Secretary Angela Rayner and London Mayor Sadiq Khan. Earlier drafts would have required 117,000 low-paid care workers and 79,000 dependants to wait up to fifteen years for indefinite leave.

The Home Office estimates that granting permanent residency to care sector staff and their adult family members between 2026 and 2030 could cost around £10 billion over their lifetimes, while analysis suggests that skilled migrants are projected to contribute a net £115 billion in taxes.

"Britain is a multi-faith, multi-ethnic democracy that demands contribution and integration," Mahmood said when launching the earned-settlement consultation, adding that permanent residence is a privilege that must be earned.