Unions call for immigration settlement changes to exclude workers already in UK

Trade union delegates have unanimously backed a motion urging ministers to retain the five-year route to permanent residence for workers and withdraw changes affecting migrants already in the UK. The government says it is considering 200,000 consultation responses, while ministers have defended longer waits as a response to high migration.

Trade unions are pressing the government to soften proposed immigration rule changes that would make it harder for foreign workers to obtain permanent residence in the UK. Delegates at the Trades Union Congress backed a motion calling for changes affecting workers already in the country to be withdrawn and for the existing five-year route to settlement to be retained.

Under the proposals, the standard period before a migrant can qualify for indefinite leave to remain would rise from five years to 10. The plans were announced last year by Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood, who has retained the role under Prime Minister Andy Burnham. They would apply to people already living in the UK, including some who had expected to qualify for permanent residence soon, but not to those who have already obtained settlement.

The proposed waiting period would be longer for some groups. People who arrived on health and social care visas would face a 15-year route, while those who had received benefits for more than 12 months would have to wait 20 years. By contrast, the source text says the government wants to offer bankers a three-year route to settlement.

Unison senior vice president Debbie Rowden said the plans would damage recruitment in sectors already facing shortages, particularly social care. She questioned why bankers would receive a shorter route while care and health workers, including nursing auxiliaries, theatre nurses, healthcare assistants and children’s residential care workers, would face a 15-year wait.

The Society of Radiographers supported the motion and said international technicians had helped fill gaps in NHS workforces. It said their numbers fell by more than 1,500, or 12%, between January and March this year because “the goalposts had moved” on settlement. The motion was passed unanimously.

A government spokesperson said ministers had received 200,000 responses to a consultation launched under former Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and were carefully considering them. Mahmood has previously defended the proposals, saying the “unprecedented” number of people arriving in the UK requires a government response. Indefinite leave to remain allows a person to live, work and study in the UK indefinitely and apply for benefits if eligible.