# Shabana Mahmood softens immigration plans in face of cabinet backlash

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/shabana-mahmood-softens-immigration-plans-in-face-of-cabinet-backlash/
- Published: 2026-11-02T16:04:52+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-02T16:50:07+00:00
- Original publisher: The Guardian (publisher lean: Left)
- Original article: https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026/nov/02/shabana-mahmood-softens-immigration-plans-cabinet-backlash-leave-to-remain
- Topics: Business, Government, Politics, Software, Technology, UK, World

## Key points

- Care workers earning over £25,000 can qualify after five years.
- Most lower-paid workers face ten years, not 15.
- Some small-boat refugees could wait at least 30 years.

## Summary

Shabana Mahmood has revised plans to extend the wait for low-paid workers to settle permanently in the UK, after objections from cabinet ministers, Labour MPs, unions and care providers. Care workers earning more than £25,000 will be able to apply for indefinite leave to remain after five years, while most workers below degree level will face a ten-year route rather than the proposed 15 years.

The Home Office estimates that 146,000 care workers and 136,000 dependants could use the five-year route. Around 100,000 skilled workers, including butchers and chefs, will face a ten-year wait; the highest earners, above £125,000, may qualify in three years. The proposals retain much longer waits for some refugees: people arriving by small boat and relying on public funds could wait at least 30 years.

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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.