Proposed Extension of Leave-to-Remain for Migrant Care Workers

Home Office minister announced a plan to extend the residency period required for migrant care workers to qualify for indefinite leave to remain from five to ten years, delaying settlement eligibility by an additional five years for all workers on sponsorship visas.

The Guardian

Migrant care workers enter the UK on employer-linked sponsorship visas that bind them to a single employer until they obtain indefinite leave to remain. Currently, five years of continuous employment grants settlement eligibility; the amendment would double this period.

The Guardian

Former minister Mike Tapp urged exclusion of care workers from the extension. Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood called for his dismissal and barred him from sensitive documents. The Work Rights Centre, led by Dr Dora-Olivia Vicol, and Unison’s Gavin Edwards have defended the workers.

The Guardian

Josephine, a Zimbabwe-born care worker, describes living in a garden shed with a bucket toilet, no running water, and mental-health strain while awaiting the five-year settlement threshold. Carla, from Nigeria, reports shifts without days off, limited family time, and calls the ten-year rule “inhumane.”

The Guardian

Shabana Mahmood urged Prime Minister Keir Starmer to dismiss Mike Tapp, alleging a confidentiality breach after Tapp allegedly leaked a draft policy. The Home Office then barred Tapp from sensitive documents and meetings. No further comment has been given on the settlement amendment.

The Guardian

Dr Dora-Olivia Vicol of the Work Rights Centre called the proposal “cruel and unconscionable,” saying legally migrated workers are being abandoned. Gavin Edwards of Unison labeled the change a “slap in the face,” citing exploitation tied to the visa sponsorship system.

The Guardian

• “All of these people migrated legally and they answered a call that came from the UK, so to throw them under the bus now is cruel and it’s unconscionable, especially by a Labour government.” — Dr Dora-Olivia Vicol, chief executive, Work Rights Centre

The Guardian

• “The level of exploitation and workplace abuse that this particular group of workers has experienced has been off the scale,” — Gavin Edwards, head of social care, Unison

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• “I was shocked because it felt inhuman.” — Josephine, migrant care worker from Zimbabwe

The Guardian

• “ Carla said the government’s plans to change the settlement requirement from five to 10 years was “inhumane”.” — Carla, migrant care worker from Nigeria

The Guardian

The sources do not give the total number of migrant care workers affected, nor any Home Office impact assessments. No alternative government proposals are detailed beyond the suggestion to exclude care workers.

The Guardian

The sources do not specify when the Home Office intends to implement the settlement amendment or whether a parliamentary debate is scheduled. No further details on subsequent consultations or legal challenges have been reported.

The Guardian