Most foreign care workers retain five-year settlement route under revised rules

The Home Office has scaled back Shabana Mahmood’s proposed changes to settlement rules, meaning most foreign care workers will still qualify for indefinite leave to remain after five years. The plans matter because settlement can open access to welfare, NHS care and social housing, and because they affect how quickly migrants can make Britain their permanent home.

The department estimates 1.9 million people could become eligible by 2030, up from the 1.6 million previously estimated; about 500,000, or a quarter, are expected to wait longer than five years. Of roughly 382,000 care workers and dependants approaching settlement, 290,000 remain on the five-year route, while around 100,000 will get an additional five-year visa to meet the requirements. Higher earners and some public service workers retain routes to settlement after three or five years, and dependants under 25 may qualify alongside the main applicant. The changes are due to begin in phases from early next year.