Unison says the Home Secretary must drop her ‘cruel’ plans to extend the qualifying period for Indefinite Leave to Remain
Hundreds of care workers and Unison members are protesting today against the Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood’s ‘cruel’ plans to extend the qualifying period for Indefinite Leave to Remain.
Care workers and campaigners will carry out a mass leafleting campaign, distributing 20,000 flyers in Shabana Mahmood’s Birmingham constituency, to protest against the proposals.
Dozens of health and care workers who have migrated to the UK to fill essential jobs will also meet with MPs tomorrow to enlist their support.
Last May, Mahmood set out proposals to extend the qualifying period for Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) from five to ten years for most migrants, and increase it up to 20 for some.
For most care workers, who are considered ‘low skilled’ workers, the qualifying period will increase from 5 to 15 years.
Unison has said Labour must drop its “cruel” plans to extend the ILR qualifying period for care workers.
Unison says that “moving the goalposts” by extending the amount of time they have to wait to apply for Indefinite Leave to Remain is “morally wrong”.
The union says the changes “will also deepen the staffing crisis in social care and leave workers more vulnerable to exploitation”.
International staff make up almost 30% of the care workforce but recruitment of migrant staff is down more than 80% according to latest government figures.
UNISON general secretary, Andrea Egan, said: “Social care is already under immense strain, with tens of thousands of vacancies. The sector’s been reliant on overseas staff willing to do this essential work, but the home secretary is closing the door on them.
“Extending the qualifying period risks driving experienced, committed staff out of the sector altogether.
“If the government’s serious about fixing social care, it must match its ambitions on pay and standards with fair treatment for the workforce. But the best way to start is by scrapping these cruel, unnecessary proposals.”
Olivia Barber is a reporter at Left Foot Forward
Left Foot Forward doesn't have the backing of big business or billionaires. We rely on the kind and generous support of ordinary people like you.
You can support hard-hitting journalism that holds the right to account, provides a forum for debate among progressives, and covers the stories the rest of the media ignore. Donate today.