1.5m foreign workers already in UK could face longer wait for permanent settlement

People who moved to Britain since 2020 face extra five-year wait to stay indefinitely under Labour crackdown

About 1.5 million foreign workers who have moved to Britain since 2020 may have to wait a further five years to apply for permanent settlement, in a move that will concern Labour MPs.

Under changes set out in the immigration white paper, automatic settlement and citizenship rights will be granted after 10 years instead of five, but the paper did not specify whether this would apply for recent arrivals already in the UK and in the process of their application.