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Shabana Mahmood has barely softened her plans – Britain’s immigration regime is now a theatre of cruelty | Owen Jones
Developed over time first seen 2 days ago
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has set out an ‘earned settlement’ plan that would make most migrant workers wait 10 years, rather than five, before applying to live in the UK permanently. People earning more than £50,000, and some workers in health and education, would retain a five-year route; those earning more than £125,000 could apply after three years. Following criticism within Labour, care workers who meet specified visa and earnings conditions would also retain a five-year route. Mahmood says the changes would recognise migrants’ contributions while reducing future welfare costs. The government has yet to publish a full impact assessment.
In his opinion column, Owen Jones argues that the care-worker concession leaves the central policy largely intact and unfairly changes expectations for people already living in the UK. He also criticises the longer wait faced by lower-paid workers and the proposed settlement conditions for people who have received certain state support. His description of the regime as cruel is an argument, rather than a finding of fact. The dispute centres on whether the government’s approach fairly balances its stated aims with the effects on migrants, employers and public services.
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In short
- Most migrant workers would face a 10-year route to permanent settlement.
- Eligible care workers retain a five-year route after a Labour backlash.
- Owen Jones argues that the concession leaves the policy’s main harms in place.
How this story developed
- 1 day ago Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has set out an ‘earned settlement’ plan that would make most migrant workers wait 10 years, rather than five, before applying to live in the UK permanently.
Steelman: both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
Supporters could argue that permanent settlement should reflect sustained contribution and self-sufficiency, and that a longer route for most workers may reduce future public spending while maintaining faster routes for higher earners and eligible care workers. They may also see the policy as a way to manage migration expectations and encourage work, while awaiting an impact assessment to clarify likely effects.
The case against
Critics could argue that extending the wait from five to ten years imposes years of uncertainty on people who have built their lives in the UK, especially lower-paid workers whose contributions may be substantial but less highly rewarded. Changing the terms for people already here and linking settlement to past use of state support could undermine trust, while risking harm to recruitment and continuity in care and other public services.
Explained simply
Shabana Mahmood is the UK home secretary, responsible for immigration policy. The government’s “earned settlement” plan would generally make migrant workers wait 10 years before applying to live permanently in Britain, while keeping shorter routes for some higher-paid workers and certain roles.
The government says the changes would recognise migrants’ contributions and reduce future welfare costs, but it has not yet published a full impact assessment. The debate is about how the plan affects people already in Britain, as well as employers and public services that rely on migrant workers.
Owen Jones’s column argues that the changes are unfair, particularly for lower-paid workers and people whose plans may be affected after they have moved to the UK. The government’s case and its critics’ concerns will be assessed against the policy’s effects, which are not yet fully set out.