Migrant care workers and Unison – the UK’s largest union – are planning a mass leafleting campaign in Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood’s Birmingham constituency, protesting against proposed changes to immigration settlement rules that they warn will devastate thousands of workers across the health and social care sector.
The Labour-affiliated union has raised serious concerns about the Government’s white paper proposal to double the minimum waiting period for settled status from five years to ten. For social care workers and others in roles classified as lower-skilled, the baseline could stretch to 15 years. Migrants who entered the UK irregularly or have claimed benefits here may face an even longer wait. A public consultation on the proposals closed in February and drew a record 200,000 responses.
Union members are aiming to leaflet around one-third of the Home Secretary’s approximately 55,000 constituents in the Ladywood area of Birmingham. Union sources say it marks the first time a major Labour-affiliated union has lobbied so openly and directly against a key party policy.
The campaign is timed for the day before a national day of action on Friday, which forms part of Unison’s Fair Visas Now campaign. Workers will also be urging their local MPs – particularly Labour members – to raise concerns about the earned settlement proposals with the Government.
The human impact of the proposals is being felt acutely by those involved. One care worker participating in the campaign holds a degree, a postgraduate qualification, and is both a qualified accountant and an accredited fraud investigator. She entered care work out of a desire to give back to British society, and described the planned changes as devastating. “We had a legitimate expectation that we could apply to settle here after five years. Somebody gave the home secretary wings to allow her to fly. She should allow the same for our children. I hope she will hear our voices.”
A second care worker, who supports people living with disabilities, said the new rules were “affecting me and my family greatly.” He said: “I love my work because it is an opportunity to give back to humanity. I felt devastated when I heard about the proposed changes. British people are known for their compassion. We urge the home secretary to show compassion in this situation. We have had the rug pulled from under our feet.”
Unison General Secretary Andrea Egan said the social care sector is already under immense strain with tens of thousands of vacancies, warning that extending the settlement period risks driving experienced, committed staff out of the sector altogether. She called on the Government to scrap what she described as “cruel, unnecessary proposals” and to match its ambitions on pay and care standards with fair treatment for the overseas workforce. The union is also pushing for reform of the current visa sponsorship system, arguing that the requirement for workers to be tied to a single employer creates conditions for exploitation, and calling instead for sponsorship to be managed by a public-sector body.
Around one-third of all care workers and one-fifth of all NHS workers in the UK are migrants – figures that underline just how dependent the health and social care system has become on overseas staff.
The Home Office defended the proposals, stating that “the privilege of living here forever should be earned, not automatic.” A spokesperson noted that between 2021 and 2024 the UK saw migration at levels that historically took four decades to accumulate, and confirmed the Government is currently reviewing the 200,000 consultation responses before setting out its next steps.
Lawsentis View
This campaign puts a human face on a policy debate that can too easily get lost in numbers and politics. The workers marching in Birmingham are qualified, committed professionals who built their lives around a clear legal framework – one that is now being changed around them. Retrospectively extending settlement timelines for people already living and working here raises real questions of fairness and legitimate expectation. A 15-year pathway to settlement for care workers doing some of society’s most essential work is very hard to justify. We urge the Government to take the 200,000 consultation responses seriously and consider the full human cost before pressing ahead.
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