# Legal migrants to face waits of 10 years or more for right to settle in UK

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/legal-migrants-to-face-waits-of-10-years-or-more-for-right-to-settle-in-uk/
- Published: 2026-11-02T08:31:59+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-02T09:55:11+00:00
- Original publisher: The Independent (publisher lean: Left)
- Original article: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/migration-rules-uk-ilr-mahmood-b3077314.html
- Topics: Politics, UK, World

## Key points

- The Government is set to confirm changes to settlement rules.
- Existing social care workers may be exempt from longer waits.
- The original plan proposed waits of up to 15 years.

## Summary

The Home Secretary, Shabana Mahmood, is expected to announce changes to settlement rules for legal migrants, with reports that existing social care workers may be exempt from longer waits. The possible exemption would soften proposals that have drawn criticism from Labour MPs and prompted tensions within the Government over whether the rules should apply to people already in the UK.

The original plan would extend the usual qualifying period for indefinite leave to remain from five to 10 years for most migrants, and potentially to 15 years for care workers. Mahmood said 350,000 low-skilled workers and dependants could otherwise qualify for settlement over five years, with a projected lifetime cost to taxpayers of £10 billion. More than 200,000 people responded to the consultation; the final decision is due to be announced in the House of Commons.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.