Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood faces scrutiny over proposed changes to legal migration rules

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood announced a proposal to extend the qualifying period for indefinite leave to remain (ILR) for recent legal migrants, suggesting a baseline of 15 years instead of the current five-year rule. Mahmood said the change is intended to address the surge in net migration of 2.6 million people between 2021 and 2024, which she described as “a level of migration the country has not seen in four decades.”

In a speech at the Labour Party conference, she argued that tighter controls are needed before migrants become eligible for benefits and council housing, noting that many arrivals from 2022 onward would otherwise qualify for settled status in 2027. The proposal has been subject to a public consultation, which officials described as a “colossal exercise” aimed at getting the policy right.

Labour figures, including Housing Secretary Angela Rayner, have criticised the plan as “un-British,” saying it would change the rules for migrants who arrived under previous guidance. Rayner described the approach as “moving the goalposts.”

The IPPR think-tank, where Mahmood previously outlined the policy, highlighted concerns about the projected £10 billion cost to taxpayers, arguing that the estimate includes long-term expenses such as pensions and health care rather than immediate welfare savings.

Conservative officials have reportedly expressed private agreement with the need for a balanced approach, while Labour’s Andy Burnham, speaking in May, said it is important to “work hard to get the balance right” and that the overall direction of the Home Secretary’s plan is “right.”

The government says the consultation will inform the final decision on the baseline period for ILR eligibility.