Trade unions have urged ministers to withdraw proposals that would increase the qualifying period for indefinite leave to remain from five to 10 years for most migrants and to 15 years for health and social care workers. TUC delegates unanimously backed a motion opposing any changes that would affect people already living in the UK, while Unison and health unions say altering terms mid-contract betrays staff who filled vital NHS and care roles. The government says it received around 200,000 consultation responses and is carefully considering next steps.
Unions Demand Reversal of Plans to Extend UK Settlement to 10 Years — 15 for Care Workers
The proposals were announced last year by Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood [PA Media]
Trade unions have stepped up pressure on ministers to withdraw proposed changes to the UK immigration system that would make it significantly harder for many foreign workers to gain permanent residence.
What the Government Proposes
The government is consulting on raising the standard qualifying period for settlement (indefinite leave to remain, or ILR) from the current five years to 10 years. Under the proposals, people who arrived on health and social care visas could face a 15-year route to settlement, while anyone who has claimed benefits for more than 12 months could be subject to a 20-year wait.
Who's Affected?
Ministers say the changes would not apply to people who have already obtained settlement, but they would affect many people already living in the UK — including those who expected to gain permanent residence in the coming months. Indefinite leave to remain allows a person to live, work and study in the UK indefinitely and, if eligible, to apply for benefits.
Political Response and Union Opposition
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood introduced the proposals last year and has defended them as a response to what she described as 'unprecedented' arrivals. The consultation was launched under Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer; a government spokesperson says ministers received around 200,000 responses and are carefully considering them.
Delegates at the Trades Union Congress (TUC) unanimously backed a motion calling for any changes that would affect workers already in the UK to be withdrawn. The UK's largest union, Unison, described the proposals as a sweeping attack on migrant workers. Unison leader Andrea Egan told the BBC she could not understand why a Labour government had brought forward these plans and argued that changing the rules 'half-way through' breaches an implied contract with staff who came to fill vital NHS and care roles.
Andrea Egan: 'These are workers who answered the call on a contract with the government — work for five years and you'll get the right to remain. To change that half-way through is breaking the contract with those workers.'
The Society of Radiographers supported the motion, noting that international technicians had helped plug major NHS staffing gaps but that numbers fell by about 12% — more than 1,500 staff — between January and March this year, which it attributed in part to the policy uncertainty.
Voices From Labour
Several Labour MPs have criticised plans to apply the changes to people already resident in the UK. Earlier this year, when she was a backbench MP, Angela Rayner — herself a former care worker and now housing secretary — called the proposals 'un-British' and warned that moving the goalposts undermines public trust and a sense of fair play. Andy Burnham, now prime minister, previously said he understood those concerns and that Labour should listen.
What Happens Next
The government is reviewing the consultation responses. Any decision to proceed with the changes — and whether they will be applied to people already in the UK — is likely to face sustained opposition from trade unions, health-sector groups and some Labour MPs.
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