Mass settlement approvals continue at record rates as government ministers hesitate over promised toughening of immigration rules.
5,000 foreign nationals who arrived legally on visas are being granted permanent settlement in Britain every single week.
Official figures show that 199,628 people received indefinite leave to remain in the 12 months leading to June. More than 200,000 migrants have now been granted permanent status since ministers first proposed tighter eligibility restrictions last year.
Indefinite leave to remain allows migrants who have lived and worked legally in the UK for five years to remain, study, and work indefinitely.
Settlement rules remain unchanged amid Cabinet clash
Former Home Secretary Yvette Cooper proposed replacing the five-year path with a 10-year “earned settlement” process last May, citing historic numbers of legal arrivals.
The government’s official Immigration White Paper highlighted the growing numbers reaching eligibility:
More people are likely to become eligible for settlement and then citizenship over the next few years as a result of the extremely high level of net migration between 2019 and 2024.
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood subsequently suggested applying the 10-year qualifying period retrospectively to migrants already living in Britain who had not yet secured settled status.
The proposal triggered severe internal conflict within the Labour Party. Deputy Leader Angela Rayner strongly opposed retrospective enforcement, labeling the concept “un-British” and a “breach of trust”.
Trade unions and opposition clash over delays
Trade union leaders also fought the changes, calling for care workers to be excluded from the extended qualifying period. Unison General Secretary Andrea Egan attacked the proposals directly:
Shabana Mahmood’s proposals have fuelled the far-Right.
The Home Secretary has since suggested she may soften her stance, stating Labour will “come to a position that balances fairness”.
Why is she delaying? It’s because she’s scared of Angela Rayner and the Left of the Labour Party, and she hasn’t got the courage to implement her own plans.
Chris Philp, Shadow Home Secretary
Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp stated that Mahmood “continues to refuse to implement her own indefinite leave to remain changes to stop this”, attributing the gridlock to internal party fear.
Reform UK home affairs spokesman Zia Yusuf also condemned the political indecision:
Labour’s internal bickering means thousands more will get indefinite leave to remain and unfettered access to our welfare system, all because Andy Burnham cannot control Rayner or his backbenchers.
Responding to criticisms over the delay in implementing the planned crackdown, a Home Office spokesperson issued a brief statement:
We are considering responses to our consultation on elements of these reforms.