Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood signalled the possibility of changes while speaking at the Labour Party conference in Liverpool, saying the government would seek to balance the interests of people who came to the UK legally with those of British citizens.
“We will come to a position that balances fairness for those who came here legally, and fairness to British citizens across this country,” Mahmood said.
Under the proposed reforms, social care workers who entered the UK through the health and care visa route could face a 15-year pathway to indefinite leave to remain, compared with the current five-year route.
The proposals have attracted criticism within the Labour Party, particularly over plans that could affect workers who arrived in the UK under existing rules that allowed them to qualify for permanent residency after five years.
Housing Secretary Angela Rayner has raised concerns about the impact of the proposed changes on foreign care workers who moved to Britain to look after elderly and vulnerable people.
Energy Secretary Miatta Fahnbulleh also acknowledged that such rules could have been difficult for her own family after they arrived in Britain when she was a child fleeing Liberia’s civil war.
Trade union Unison has also opposed the proposed reforms, with General Secretary Andrea Egan arguing that extending the settlement period for people who had already moved to the UK under previous rules would be unfair.
“Moving the goalposts at this stage in the game is wrong and unfair,” Egan said.
However, sources close to Mahmood said no final decision had been made on the indefinite leave to remain proposals, with the consultation process still ongoing.
Mahmood defended the broader objective of reforming legal migration, saying the system should balance fairness to migrants seeking to build their lives in Britain with the interests of existing residents and British workers.
The government has previously tightened immigration rules by ending overseas recruitment of care workers and restricting the ability of care workers to bring family dependants to the UK as part of efforts to reduce net migration.
Mahmood also announced plans to expand safe and legal routes for refugees, including community and student sponsorship programmes that would allow local communities and universities to support refugees.
The government also plans to reopen the UK resettlement route in partnership with the United Nations, with the first arrivals expected this year.
The latest developments indicate that the final details of the proposed permanent residency reforms, particularly provisions affecting migrants who entered the UK legally under previous settlement rules, have yet to be determined.
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