‘Unfair’ migration shake-up blasted as 1000’s of youngsters ‘left in limbo’
New research by the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) found over 300,000 children face having to wait for a decade for settled status after a controversial migration shake-up
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has proposed a radical shake-up of legal migration rules(Image: Wiktor Szymanowicz/Future Publis)
Hundreds of thousands of kids will be in limbo for a decade after a controversial migration shake-up, ministers have been warned.
New research shows over 300,000 children face waiting a decade for settled status – despite already being in the country legally – under Shabana Mahmood’s plans. The Home Secretary’s proposals have sparked a backlash from Labour MPs, with the Government accused of moving the goalposts.
Ms Mahmood has announced plans to raise the standard qualifying period for permanent settlement to between 10 and 15 years – up from its current five. This would be applied retrospectively.
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A report by the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR), published today, found nearly a quarter – 23% – of the 1.35million people affected are children. It warned the measures would be damaging to child poverty and integration.
Marley Morris, associate director at the think-tank, said: “Families who were welcomed to the UK under one set of rules should not have the goalposts moved part way through their journey.”
He continued: “It’s simply unfair to apply these rules retrospectively. For the 300,000 children affected, this is not an abstract policy change.
“They face growing up with prolonged insecurity, with many facing new barriers to going to university once they turn 18.” Last week Ms Mahmood told MPs the policies were responding to what she branded an uncontrolled wave of migration into the country.
Under the proposals, migrants will be able to cut time off their wait for eligibility by volunteering or showing a contribution to their communities. The Home Secretary said: “It is perfectly fair and legitimate for us to want to have a controlled system, and that does place burdens on employers.
“You cannot just go off and bring people in from abroad; you have to play by some rules. I think that is fair enough. That is what the changes are designed to do.”
And in a speech on Thursday, Keir Starmer defended the measures, saying they are focused on contribution. He said: “I mean go back to Windrush – which is such an important moment in our national story.
“The people who came here, they weren’t victims, they weren’t vulnerable. Britain did not invite them here as an act of compassion, that is liberal vanity.
“No, they came here because Britain needed them because they wanted to come and Britain wanted them to make a contribution. And they did. They helped rebuild this country. Now, I think there’s far more dignity in that story – the real story, than in this kind of fairytale of Britain’s charity.”
But Mr Morris said: “If the government is serious about integration and tackling child poverty, it cannot design a system that keeps families and children, many of whom will eventually become our fellow citizens, in limbo for a decade or more.
“This has both a human and an economic cost. Protecting those already here would be the simplest and most effective way to avoid long-term harm.” Zayne, 18, who is currently on the five-year route to settlement but faces an extension to 10 years under the proposed changes, said: “My dad is an NHS doctor and chose to work in the UK because he believed in the rules and the promise of stability.
“He gave up better-paid work abroad, sold our house and car, and spent thousands doing everything right – only to be told, a month before we qualify, that the rules have changed.”
And he continued: “We came here for stability and to live together as a family. Now even the language around these policies is affecting my daily life, with people telling me to ‘go back home’ while I’m working. It feels like we followed every rule and still lost everything we planned for.”
