Barring any change of plans, the British Government is expected to announce a major decision on its controversial immigration settlement reforms on Monday, with thousands of African care workers and other foreign nationals living and working legally in the United Kingdom waiting anxiously to know whether they will be spared a proposed extension of the qualifying period for permanent residency.
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood is expected to present the Government’s final position in the House of Commons, following months of consultations and growing opposition from Labour politicians, trade unions and migrant rights campaigners.
At the centre of the controversy is the proposed reform of Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR), which currently allows eligible migrants on qualifying work routes to apply for permanent settlement after five years of continuous residence.
Under Mahmood’s original proposals, announced in November 2025, the qualifying period would increase from five to 10 years for most migrants, while workers in lower-paid occupations, including social care, could face a waiting period of up to 15 years.
However, fresh indications suggest that the Home Secretary is considering significant concessions, particularly for care workers who have spent years providing essential services to vulnerable people across Britain.
According to a report by The Telegraph, Mahmood is considering a system that would allow care workers to reduce their waiting period through sustained employment in public services, bringing them closer to the arrangements proposed for doctors and other skilled public sector professionals.
Under the reported arrangement, a care worker required to wait 15 years could potentially earn a reduction of five years after completing five years of qualifying public service employment.
The distinction is particularly important for African migrants, many of whom entered Britain through the Health and Care Worker visa route and have since become part of the country’s social care workforce.
Although the proposed changes are not directed specifically at Africans, their implications are significant for Nigerian, Ghanaian, Zimbabwean, Kenyan and other African nationals who have built their lives around the existing immigration settlement arrangements.
The debate has also exposed divisions within the governing Labour Party.
Housing Secretary Angela Rayner has emerged as one of the most prominent critics of the original proposals, arguing that changing settlement conditions for people who had already entered Britain legally would undermine public confidence in the immigration system.
More than 100 Labour MPs and several major trade unions have also expressed opposition to the proposed changes, particularly their potential retrospective application to migrants already working towards settlement.
Rayner’s intervention has placed additional pressure on Mahmood to find a compromise that addresses public concerns about immigration while recognising the contributions of migrant workers.
The Guardian previously reported that migrant rights campaigners and trade union representatives had warned that extending the settlement period could damage Britain’s ability to retain essential overseas workers, particularly in health and social care.
The concerns are not difficult to understand. Britain’s care sector has relied heavily on international recruitment to address staffing shortages, with overseas workers supporting residential homes, nursing facilities and people receiving care in their own homes.
For many African workers, the decision to relocate to Britain involved substantial financial and personal sacrifices. Some sold properties, borrowed money or used their savings to meet recruitment, travel and relocation expenses, expecting to build a more secure future through lawful employment.
The prospect of extending their journey towards permanent residency has therefore generated considerable anxiety among affected families.
Mahmood, however, has consistently defended the principle behind the reforms, arguing that permanent settlement should be earned through economic contribution, good conduct and integration into British society.
In March, she warned that around 350,000 lower paid workers and their dependants could become eligible for settlement over five years under the existing arrangements, potentially creating a lifetime cost of approximately £10 billion to taxpayers.
She cited Migration Advisory Committee estimates to support the Government’s argument for reform.
The proposals also attracted considerable attention because of their potential implications for public finances and the country’s long term approach to migration.
The Government’s consultation, which attracted more than 200,000 responses before closing in February 2026, sought opinions on the proposed qualifying periods, the treatment of public service workers and transitional arrangements for people already on settlement routes.
