Home secretary to make some migrants wait 15 years for right to settle in UK

MPs say Shabana Mahmood’s new rules risk staff shortages in health and social care and second Windrush scandal

Shabana Mahmood will announce sweeping new rules on Monday on how long legal migrants must wait for permanent settlement in the UK, with most likely to wait a decade and some up to 15 years.

Ministers – including the housing secretary, Angela Rayner – had raised concerns about the effect the rules would have on careworkers already in the UK who would be likely to face a 15-year wait for settlement.

The government’s response to the consultation on the reforms, which will be put before MPs on Monday, is expected give some exemption to care workers already in the UK, though most other professions will face the lengthy waits for settlement.