Peers warn proposed immigration reforms risk undermining fairness, integration and workforce stability, including in adult social care
Proposed changes to UK settlement and citizenship rules could undermine integration and increase hardship for some migrant groups, with potential implications for workforce-dependent sectors including adult social care, a House of Lords committee has warned.
The Justice and Home Affairs Committee report, published today, examined government proposals to extend the qualifying period for indefinite leave to remain (ILR) from the current baseline of five years to 10 years or more, alongside an ‘earned settlement’ model tied to criteria such as work and language skills.
While a minority of committee members supported the proposals as a way to manage fiscal pressures and migration incentives, the majority argued that lengthening the route to settlement risks worsening poverty among lower-income migrants and could impede integration. They also warn that it may increase the size of the unauthorised population.
Peers also criticised plans to apply rule changes retrospectively to individuals already in the UK, calling the approach ‘manifestly unfair’ and potentially damaging to the UK’s reputation. The committee further flags the absence of a comprehensive integration strategy for England and gaps in data that limit effective policymaking and public understanding.
The report noted that migrants on temporary visas, including many care workers, are subject to “no recourse to public funds” conditions and ongoing visa and health surcharge costs until they obtain settled status.
The committee also highlighted concerns around the current sponsorship model, under which many migrant workers’ visas, including care workers, are tied to a single employer. It points to evidence that this system can heighten the risk of labour exploitation and limit workers’ ability to change jobs or challenge poor conditions, undermining both integration and workforce stability.
The government banned the recruitment of new care workers from abroad just under a year ago due to concerns about exploitation, leading sector leaders to sound alarm bells over labour shortages.
The move came after a series of measures aimed at reducing net migration to the UK and exploitation of sponsored staff led to a dramatic fall in the number of health and care workers receiving visas from 26.4l in Q2 2023 to 1,062 in the same period last year, according to an analysis by the Work Rights Centre.
The adult social care vacancy rate currently stands at 6.3 per cent overall, and 7.6 per cent for care workers, according to the latest figures from Skills for Care.
Peers suggest that greater flexibility, such as reducing the degree of dependency on a single sponsor, could support fairer treatment and better labour market outcomes.
In addition, the committee criticises the Home Office for a reactive approach to policymaking and for failing to provide sufficient impact assessments, making scrutiny of reforms more difficult.
