Unions have intensified calls for the government to reconsider planned reforms to immigration rules that they say would harm low-paid migrant workers in public services and risk deepening staffing shortages in social care. At its annual conference, the Trades Union Congress (TUC) passed a motion urging the government to reverse proposals that would significantly extend the period migrants in non-graduate roles must wait before qualifying for indefinite leave to remain.

Currently, most migrants in the UK can apply for settled status after five years. The government’s reform plan, described by Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood as the biggest overhaul of the immigration system in half a century, would extend this qualifying period to a default of 10 years. In addition, those in non-graduate occupations—such as care workers—would have to wait 15 years before becoming eligible for settlement. The proposals offer a fast track for higher earners but have sparked strong opposition from unions and some Labour politicians, who argue they unfairly penalize essential workers.

The TUC criticized the reforms for rendering migrant workers “second-class citizens” and leaving them feeling “scared” and “alarmed.” The motion specifically called on the government to reconsider the longer residency requirements for care staff and other non-graduate workers who had come to the UK under the expectation of settling after five years. It also advocated for measures to raise pay in public services and reform the visa system to reduce employer dominance over migrant workers.

Labour members and MPs have expressed concern about applying the changes retrospectively to migrants already in the country. Clive Lewis, a Labour MP aligned with the party’s left wing, suggested that the government’s position was becoming untenable following the TUC vote. “The new prime minister had promised change and has promised Labour values. The retrospective element of this policy, in particular, is never going to wash,” he said.

Care providers have warned that the reforms could trigger a severe staffing crisis in the social care sector, potentially undermining plans to establish a national care service. One potential compromise under discussion at official level involves creating a form of “pre-settled” status that would grant care workers greater employment protections, including the ability to change employers, while still extending the time required for full settlement and welfare access.

The TUC’s motion supported a similar approach, calling for a sector-wide visa scheme in social care to defend workers against exploitation and job insecurity. Paul Nowak, general secretary of the TUC, urged the government to “take a step back” from the proposed reforms, emphasizing the unfairness of altering rules for migrants who arrived with different expectations. “I think that is fundamentally unfair and unjust,” he said.

Unite union general secretary Sharon Graham echoed the importance of migration for the country’s future, noting demographic trends that underscore the need for migrant workers. “We need migration and we will need more migration . . . we are not getting younger as a society,” she commented. The debate over the proposed immigration changes continues to pose a challenge for the government amid competing pressures from political parties, labour groups, and care sector stakeholders.