Sadiq Khan claims victory as he welcomes immigration reforms

The mayor had lobbied Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood for amendments to her proposals on indefinite leave to remain reports Kumail Jaffer, Local Democracy Reporter

City Hall (credit GLA) and (inset) Sadiq Khan

The Mayor of London has hailed the government’s softening of immigration rules after he joined some cabinet members in lobbying the Home Secretary over changes to indefinite leave to remain (ILR) rules.

Shabana Mahmood finally unveiled long-awaited reforms to the settlement rules, which had originally given most migrants the right to live, work and study in the UK for as long as they like and apply for benefits if eligible, as well as potentially apply for British citizenship, after five years.

The Home Secretary had originally proposed doubling the time period to 10 years for most migrants and making some foreign workers wait up to 15 years to qualify for permanent settlement.

However, pressure from within her own party – including other cabinet members and the Mayor of London – saw the policy watered down to allow care workers to remain on their original five-year pathway, subject to conditions.

Last month the mayor joined the growing rebellion, saying that he did not favour “changing rules retrospectively” and called for a “compassionate” immigration policy.

Months earlier, he said extending the qualification time for ILR would dispossess migrants of a “stake” in Britain’s future.

Speaking on Tuesday (3rd November) the mayor told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) that changes to the original proposals were “welcome” in the capital.

“I welcome the changes the Home Secretary has made,” he said. “I’ve lobbied on some of the issues for some time now, and it’s really important to recognise the concessions that have been made.

“We’ll be assessing her announcement in terms of how it affects various sectors in London. It’s important for me to recognise the movement there’s been from them.”

There is currently no dataset providing the number of individuals who have or may be eligible for ILR in London, though estimates from City Hall based on 2021 Census figures would suggest that anywhere between 526,000 and 627,000 non-UK passport holders who could meet these conditions were in employment at the time.

The same calculations claimed that the estimated total economic contribution these individuals make per annum ranges from approximately £50 billion to £61 billion.

A paper produced by the Greater London Authority’s Economics Team earlier this year suggests that a reduction in foreign workers could lead to “a return to skills shortages…with significant implications for economic growth in London and the rest of the UK. This would be concerning given the recent national and London-focussed milestones being set for key delivery programmes in policy areas such as housing and social care.”

The mayor has rallied against significant changes to ILR for months.

Speaking at the Fabian Society’s annual conference in January, he said the proposed reforms do not give migrants “a stake in our country’s future – it takes that stake away”, adding: “In London alone, we have new figures that doubling the time it takes to get permanent settlement rights could affect over half a million Londoners, who contribute over £50 billion to our economy every year.”

Last week, the mayor told BBC Radio 4: “I’m somebody who is not in favour of changing rules retrospectively. I’m somebody who recognises we need to control our borders, make sure those who come here contribute, but also we need an immigration policy which is compassionate.

“I’m confident that once Shabana has taken on board the responses to the consultation, she will announce a policy that we can all get behind.”

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