Home Secretary to announce final decision on UK immigration reforms this year

LONDON Sept 16: Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood told the Commons Home Affairs Committee on 15 September that technical work on the government’s new migration system was underway, with a final policy announcement expected later this year. She said she would set out the details in good time before February 2027, when the first arrivals under the 2022 visa system reach five years.

Under the proposals, the standard qualifying period for indefinite leave to remain (ILR) would rise from five to 10 years. People who arrived on health and social care visas could face a 15-year wait, while those who have claimed benefits for more than 12 months could face 20 years. The changes would not affect people who already have settlement but could apply to migrants already living in the UK, including those expecting to qualify soon. Some Labour MPs have criticised the retrospective element.

Mahmood said the government was seeking to balance its responsibilities to migrants who came to work, the failures it inherited and the needs of people already living in the UK.

The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) has urged the government to scrap the proposals, warning they could worsen staffing shortages in social care. RCN General Secretary and Chief Executive Professor Nicola Ranger called the changes a “betrayal” of migrant nursing staff and said they were incompatible with building a stable National Care Service.

The RCN says the UK already has one of the most restrictive settlement routes for migrant nurses among comparable high-income countries. Its international comparison found that the UK currently requires five years for settlement, compared with immediate permanent residency for skilled professionals such as registered nurses in the US and Australia, six to 16 months in Canada, two years in New Zealand and Ireland, and two to three years in Germany.

The RCN also says the UK has the highest settlement application cost among the countries studied, currently £3,229 per person, compared with around £500 or less in most of the other countries. The cost was £155 in 2003, representing an increase of almost 2,000%.

Migrant nursing staff currently face a five-year settlement period and no recourse to public funds (NRPF). While NHS nursing staff are expected to retain the five-year route, thousands working in social care and non-NHS settings could face up to 15 years.

The adult social care sector relies heavily on migrant workers, who hold almost 30% of jobs in the sector. Despite increased recruitment since 2022, tens of thousands of posts remain vacant.

An RCN survey of more than 5,000 migrant nursing staff found that 53% were extremely concerned about the proposed ILR changes, while 60% of those without ILR said extending the qualifying period would be very likely to affect their decision to remain in the UK.

The RCN is calling for immediate ILR eligibility across nursing roles and health settings, removal of NRPF conditions and a reduction in the ILR application cost to the £523 Home Office processing fee.

The RCN also welcomed last week’s Home Office decision to untie the visas of recognised modern slavery victims from their specific employers, but said stronger action was needed to tackle exploitation in social care.