Shabana Mahmood to set out changes to settlement rules for legal migrants

Key Points:

• Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood, daughter of immigrants, is revising rules for legal migrants, aiming to balance fairness for new arrivals and existing British workers amid rising legal immigration concerns.
• Recent data shows net migration to the UK fell to 171,000 in 2025, the lowest since 2012 excluding the pandemic, influenced by policy changes restricting family accompaniment for overseas students and ending recruitment of overseas care workers.
• Prime Minister Andy Burnham described it as "difficult to say" whether legal migration is too high or low, emphasizing the need for migration to align with economic demands and noting a significant drop in small boat arrivals.
• Mahmood's proposals to extend the wait for indefinite leave to remain from five to ten years, and up to fifteen for lower-paid migrants, have faced backlash within Labour and trade unions, leading to potential revisions, especially for social care workers.
• The Home Secretary is expected to announce her final decision on these immigration rule changes in the House of Commons, with an emphasis on fairness for those who come legally and British citizens.