Britain’s proposed changes to permanent residency rules could be adjusted after concerns emerged within the Labour government over their impact on foreign workers.
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood indicated that the government was still weighing its options while speaking at the Labour Party conference in Liverpool.
She acknowledged criticism of parts of the proposed reforms to indefinite leave to remain, saying ministers would consider how to balance the rights of legal migrants with the interests of British citizens.
The proposed changes would introduce new conditions for migrants seeking permanent residency in the UK.
One of the most significant proposals would affect overseas care workers who entered Britain through health and care visas. Under the plan, some could have to spend 15 years in the UK before becoming eligible for permanent settlement.
The current route generally allows eligible migrants to apply after five years.
Another contentious aspect is the possibility of applying the new rules to some workers who arrived from 2021. Labour figures and trade unions have raised concerns about changing the conditions after migrants had already entered the country.
Housing Secretary Angela Rayner has questioned the potential impact on foreign care workers who came to Britain to work with elderly and vulnerable people.
Energy Secretary Miatta Fahnbulleh also pointed to the personal implications of stricter settlement rules. She said similar requirements could have affected her family after they arrived in Britain from Liberia during her childhood.
Unison has also rejected the proposed extension.
The union’s general secretary, Andrea Egan, said workers who entered Britain under one set of settlement expectations should not have those conditions changed after their arrival.
Despite the criticism, Mahmood has continued to defend the government’s wider plans to reform legal migration.
She said the immigration system should recognise the contribution of people who come to Britain legally while also considering the interests of British workers and communities.
However, officials close to the Home Secretary said the permanent residency proposals have not been finalised. The consultation remains underway, leaving room for possible changes.
Alongside the debate over legal migration, Mahmood announced new plans to create additional routes for refugees to enter Britain safely.
From October, charities and other non-profit organisations will be able to apply to sponsor refugees. The proposed schemes will include a community route for local groups and a student route involving universities.
The first refugees under the new programmes are expected to arrive in autumn next year.
The government also plans to reopen its UK resettlement route in cooperation with the United Nations. The first arrivals through the renewed programme are expected this year.
Mahmood said Afghan women and girls fleeing persecution under Taliban rule, along with Palestinians who have left Gaza, would make up around a quarter of those resettled.
The Home Secretary also reflected on her family’s migration from rural Kashmir to Britain in the 1970s, saying fairness should remain at the heart of the country’s immigration system.
The government is yet to announce final details of the proposed permanent residency reforms, particularly how they will affect migrants who entered Britain under the existing rules.
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