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 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.