Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has scrapped a plan that would have required
migrant social care workers already in the UK to wait 15 years for indefinite
leave to remain (ILR). Under the new rules, social care workers who earn at
at least £25,000 and who arrived before May 2025 may apply for ILR after five
years' residence. Mahmood also removed the rule requiring all low‑paid workers
to wait 15 years for ILR; the waiting period for other low‑paid workers is
reduced to 10 years.
