UK immigration reforms November 2026: Major Immigration Reforms Revealed. Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood is scheduled to outline the Government’s final immigration reforms in the House of Commons on Monday 2 November, with planned changes to Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) and settlement regulations expected to be at the heart of her statement. The announcement might indicate major changes to how long migrants need to dwell in the UK before they qualify for permanent settlement, ITV News said.
The Main Proposals for UK ILR Changes 2026
The main proposals are:
- Increasing the standard qualifying time for ILR from 5 to 10 years.
- Extending the qualifying time to 15 years for certain lower paid workers such as care workers.
- Allowing transitional exemptions for social care personnel currently resident and working in the UK.
Possible Concessions on Care Staff
There has been increasing speculation that some of the more unpopular measures could be watered down, particularly plans to prolong the ILR qualification time for overseas care workers from five years to as long as 15 years. Ms Mahmood is reported to be considering offering an exemption to existing social care professionals in the UK from the prolonged settlement timeline, which might mean the changes only apply to new entrants.
The ideas have revealed differences within the Government. Housing Secretary Angela Rayner explicitly condemned the prospect of the new laws applying retroactively to migrants in the UK earlier this year. Energy Secretary Then Miatta Fahnbulleh has refused multiple times to back calls for an extension of the qualifying period for the settlement.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham last week said he fully backed the notion that ILR was a “right to be earned”, but did not agree to all of Ms Mahmood’s suggested revisions.
Government Response to Concerns Over Immigration
Ms Mahmood first floated the idea of extending the settlement period amid concerns over the amount of legal migrants becoming eligible after record levels of net migration after Brexit under the previous Conservative government. The suggestions went through an almost year-long consultation process, receiving more than 200,000 answers. The Home Secretary is anticipated to set out the Government’s final position after considering the responses.
The original proposals, announced in November 2025, planned to double the usual qualifying time for settlement from five to 10 years for most migrants, with the possibility of increasing it to 15 years for care workers. But the measures have faced resistance from a large number of Labour MPs, who think the reforms could be unjust, especially when applied to those already resident and working in the UK. Ms Rayner had previously criticised retrospective application of the planned restrictions as “un-British”.
Conservatives Accuse Government of Planning ILR U-Turn
Shadow home secretary Chris Philp said the Government was preparing to row back on its original immigration ambitions.
“Govt will announce their u-turn on ILR or Indefinite Leave to Remain tomorrow,” he wrote on X on Sunday. Shabana Mahmood has clearly been forced to capitulate to Angela Rayner and the open-borders Labour Left. Hundreds of thousands of low-wage and no-wage migrants will now be allowed to remain in the UK indefinitely and claim benefits. As Mahmood himself said in a speech in March, allowing low paid care workers to remain forever will cost taxpayers £10 billion and be a ‘affront’.
Mr Philp added: “After a year of taking a severe stance on immigration Ms Mahmood seems to have ceded control of the strategy to Ms Rayner.
He also highlighted the Conservative Party’s alternative plan, saying a 10-year route to ILR should be reserved for highly paid workers. He suggested that no more low-paid workers should be let into the nation and that those who are here should be forced to leave when their temporary work visas expire.
Possible £10bn Bill to the Taxpayer
In a speech on immigration in March, Ms Mahmood said that the UK had seen levels of migration in four years that it had not seen over a 40-year period. She was particularly concerned about persons coming through the health and social care visa path. The Home Secretary warned that up to 350,000 lower-skilled workers and their dependants could be entitled to settle and claim benefits over the next five years if nothing was done. The Migration Advisory Committee estimates the lifetime cost to taxpayers might amount to £10 billion, she said. Figures and the possible financial repercussions lie at the heart of the discussion on whether the Government should prolong the qualifying term for permanent settlement.
Early Settlement Warned by Reform UK
Reform UK Treasury spokesman Robert Jenrick also attacked the idea that existing migrants could be allowed to qualify for permanent settlement earlier than originally mooted. He said: “I can’t believe Burnham would be so stupid as to give British citizenship to 400,000 people just six years after they came here. If they are there forever it will cost us hundreds of billions of pounds. “It would rank as one of the worst decisions in modern British history.”
What Is ILR (Indefinite Leave to Remain)?
Indefinite Leave to Remain is an immigration status which permits eligible people to reside, work and study in the UK without a term limit. ILR holders do not have term limits on their immigration status and may apply for public benefits if they match the necessary eligibility criteria. The statement on Monday is likely to reveal if the Government would ahead with plans for 10-year and 15-year settlement routes and if migrants already working in the UK, particularly in social care, will be given transitory protection.