Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood is expected to announce her final decision on settlement rules for legal migrants next week, with social care workers already in the UK now likely to be exempt from the longest waits. The BBC understands the proposals are likely to be revised for most of those currently working in social care, after opposition inside government to applying new rules to workers already here.

Under the original proposals, the wait for permanent settlement, known as indefinite leave to remain, would rise from five years to 10 years for most workers, with some lower-paid migrants facing a wait of up to 15 years. Many lower-paid social care workers had faced the 15-year wait rather than five. As originally proposed, most other workers would still need to live and work in the UK for 10 years before becoming eligible, although that period could be reduced for people who contribute to their local communities or have higher incomes.

What has not changed yet

Nothing has been confirmed until the Home Secretary presents her decisions to Parliament, and the Home Office will not comment on the final decisions until then. The government's consultation on the proposed reforms drew 200,000 responses, reflecting the scale of concern among migrants, employers and campaigners. The concern behind the original plan, ministers have said, was the number of people who would become eligible for permanent residence after a period of very high net migration.

For now, the current settlement rules remain in force, and anyone affected should check the official GOV.UK guidance for the route that applies to them. This article is general information only and is not immigration advice for any individual case.

Official guidance on this route is published on GOV.UK: Indefinite leave to remain. Rules change, so check the official page for your own route and date.