Foreign Care Workers Face Five-Year Settlement Wait Under Revised Plans
New rules extend path to permanent residency for many, with stricter criteria and phased implementation.
Carla Rooney
Foreign care workers will now wait five years for settlement under revised government plans.
Foreign nationals now face a default 10-year waiting period before settlement. This new timeline applies to those meeting visa conditions and earning at least £25,000 annually.
Stricter criteria now govern settled status applications. Applicants must possess a clean criminal record, demonstrate A-level equivalent English proficiency, carry no debt to the taxpayer, and show a consistent history of national insurance contributions.
Shabana Mahmood's original proposals for restricting foreign nationals' ability to gain permanent rights in Britain underwent alteration. The measures will implement in phases, beginning early next year.
The number of migrants estimated to become eligible for Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) by 2030 increased from 1.6 million to 1.9 million. Ms Mahmood claims approximately 500,000 people due to settle at five years will now face a longer wait.
Ms Mahmood also claims the right to settled status will no longer be automatic; it must be earned. She maintains the revised plans will still address the issue of high net migration.
Higher rate taxpayers earning more than £125,000 will apply for settlement after three years. The existing five-year ILR route remains for public sector workers in lower-qualified roles, including teaching assistants and nursing auxiliaries.
The Home Office previously estimated the net lifetime cost of care workers and their adult dependants settling between 2026 and 2030 at £10 billion. Chris Philp claimed this would cost the taxpayer £10 billion.
However, officials now state the £10 billion figure previously cited by Ms Mahmood for potential welfare savings was out of date. They expect 'a few billion' in welfare payments to be saved by the changes.