Some overseas care workers would retain a five-year route to permanent residence in the UK under revised government plans. According to the BBC, the concession would apply to those who arrived before May 2025 and earn at least £25,000 a year. It is a change to a proposal, not a new rule already in force.
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood announced the revision on 2 November. In its report published the following day, the BBC outlined both the conditions for retaining the five-year route and questions about the decision’s financial impact. The government has not yet presented a full revised costing.
Who would keep the five-year route?
The original proposal would have extended the standard wait for settlement from five to ten years for most migrants, and to 15 years for some. Under the revised plans described by the BBC, care workers who arrived in the UK before May 2025 and earn at least £25,000 annually would still be able to qualify for settlement after five years.
Overseas care workers who do not meet the conditions for that route would be able to apply for a new five-year visa and then seek settlement. The revision therefore does not abandon longer waits for all care workers. According to the BBC, just over 500,000 people would face an extended wait, rather than almost 800,000.
Indefinite leave to remain (ILR), also known as settlement, allows people to live, work and study in the UK indefinitely. It also allows them to apply for benefits if they meet the relevant conditions and can provide a basis for a later application for British citizenship. The length of the route to settlement therefore matters not only for career plans but also for long-term security in the UK.
Government promises savings, with full costing still to come
In an interview for BBC Radio 4’s Today programme reported on 3 November, Mahmood did not give a full revised estimate of the changes’ financial impact. She said it would be presented when the proposals were put before Parliament and maintained that the overall package would still save billions of pounds.
Home Office minister Anna Turley told BBC Breakfast that savings on benefits would amount to at least £1 billion over the next few years, while noting that further calculations would be carried out. These are government forecasts, not confirmed financial results.
The Conservatives called the change a U-turn and claimed it would cost the UK billions of pounds. Mahmood rejected that description of her decision. Without a full revised costing, however, political claims cannot settle the dispute over the financial impact.
For care workers, the crucial distinction remains between an announcement and the rules currently in force. The BBC report does not set out a complete list of conditions and exceptions or a date for the changes to take effect. The criteria described are therefore not enough to establish an individual visa holder’s eligibility.
