The UK Home Office is reportedly preparing to ease a planned immigration crackdown that would have required tens of thousands of foreign care workers and their families to wait ten years before becoming eligible for permanent residency. The proposed relaxation of rules comes amid internal government turmoil and appears tied to efforts to align with incoming Prime Minister Andy Burnham’s stance on immigration.

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood, who is expected to play a senior role in Burnham’s administration, is considering exempting a significant group of care workers from the new ten-year residency requirement. The original policy, announced last year and set to be introduced through the Immigration and Asylum Bill in Parliament next week, would have doubled the period non-EEA migrants need to reside in the UK to qualify for indefinite leave to remain, increasing it from five to ten years. The rule was also intended to be applied retrospectively, affecting those who arrived after the pandemic, with the government citing a need to curb a surge in settlement applications.

The climbdown follows a public internal dispute triggered by junior immigration minister Mike Tapp. Tapp published an unauthorised article outlining potential exemptions for care workers, angering Mahmood, who sought his dismissal. However, Prime Minister Keir Starmer refused to sack Tapp, who is known as a strong supporter of the government, complicating the Home Office’s internal cohesion. Mahmood subsequently restricted Tapp’s access to meetings and official documents, while Tapp publicly resisted the move, invoking his military background to reject her attempts at intimidation.

The dispute has exposed a broader rift within the Labour government over immigration policy ahead of Burnham’s expected premiership in the coming weeks. Burnham has expressed opposition to applying the full retrospective changes, warning of the impact on hundreds of thousands of migrants he suggested would be left in legal and social limbo. Labour figures such as Angela Rayner have criticised the policy as “un-British,” further underscoring internal divisions.

Sources suggest the Home Office is considering exempting over 600,000 care workers and their families who have entered under the health and care visa scheme, a pathway introduced during the pandemic that allowed migrant care workers to bring dependants. In 2023 alone, 120,000 dependants arrived alongside 100,000 care workers under this visa category. Officials estimate that if current rules stand, around 200,000 individuals in this group will apply for permanent settlement by 2030, entitling them to benefit access. Home Office analysis indicates that the long-term cost to taxpayers could reach £20 billion.

Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp has called for the government to maintain the original tightening, asserting that migrants admitted temporarily should only remain permanently if employed in high-wage roles. He challenged Burnham’s leadership, suggesting the incoming prime minister may face pressure from the party’s left wing to soften immigration controls.

The controversy has further strained the relationship between Starmer and Mahmood. The Home Office insists that policy is still under consideration and denies that the retrospective element of the crackdown will be dropped outright. Meanwhile, Downing Street has reminded ministers of protocol and collective responsibility following Tapp’s unauthorised disclosures. Tapp, currently overseas, has issued an apology for comments referencing his military service in the dispute but reaffirmed his respect for the Home Secretary.