Shabana Mahmood’s announced they’ll be eligible for indefinite leave to remain after five years instead.
That’s a climbdown from the initial proposal last year, which said care workers would have to be resident in the UK for 15 years before being able to apply for ILR.
Some Labour MPs and cabinet ministers had criticised that plan.
Shadow Home Secretary and Croydon South MP, Chris Philp, criticised her for back-tracking.
Care workers who have met their visa conditions, working in the care sector for the full five years, and earned at least £25,000 a year will be eligible.
For care workers who don’t meet those criteria, which is around a quarter of the total who arrived between 2022 and 2025, the so-called “Boris wave” will be eligible for a second five-year visa.
They will then be able to apply for a settlement once the new five years have been completed.
