Mahmood’s Settlement Rule Meets Windrush Warning

That is the change carrying the argument. Indefinite leave to remain is not a symbolic immigration milestone; it is the point at which a long lawful stay starts to look like settled life. According to the Guardian, the standard qualifying period would double from five years to 10, while some workers could be left on a longer track still, subject to proposed exemptions and reductions.

The government’s own unease is visible in the carve-outs under discussion. Ministers including Angela Rayner had raised concerns about the effect on care workers already in the UK, and the response to the consultation is expected to give some exemption to that group. Even in that softened form, the proposal tells migrants in many other jobs that lawful residence, work and time served may no longer be enough on their own.

Mahmood has also proposed that some people could shorten the wait if they showed they had contributed to their local communities through a points-based system or if they were earning higher incomes. The language of “earned” settlement has a political logic to it. The practical effect, at least from what has been reported so far, is a longer baseline wait with the possibility of reduction for those who clear extra tests.

The sharpest warning has come in a letter seen by the Guardian and dated 29 October, signed by MPs and organisations representing migrant workers, racial equality campaigners and health professionals. They call the proposals “an iteration of Windrush era policies” and urge ministers to abandon them or at minimum add safeguards. Their concern is not abstract: people who planned their lives around one set of settlement rules could find the terms changed midstream.

The signatories also argue that the health and care system is in no position to treat migrant retention as a secondary issue. They say exemptions may still fail to protect workers employed by independent health and social care providers, as well as family members, and they warn that staff shortages could worsen in sectors already relying heavily on internationally trained workers.

Mahmood, launching the consultation on earned settlement last year, described Britain as a “multi-faith, multi-ethnic democracy” that demanded “contribution and integration”. She added: “To become a part of this country, permanently, is therefore not a right but a privilege – and one that must be earned.”