Labour MPs pull their punches on immigration changes

Shabana Mahmood has softened proposed settlement rules for some migrant care workers after Labour MPs and unions raised concerns. The change reduces political opposition within Labour, but the government has kept plans to apply longer settlement waits retrospectively, leaving some migrants facing a change to the expectations they had when they arrived.

Care workers who arrived before May 2025 and earn at least £25,000 a year will remain eligible to apply for settlement after five years. The revised plans are expected to delay settlement for about 500,000 people, compared with around 800,000 under last year’s proposal. Conservative Chris Philp called the change a significant U-turn, citing Mahmood’s earlier warning that faster settlement for care workers could cost £10bn.