The Labour government in the UK has said that it would make big changes to its immigration policies. For example, foreign workers will now have to wait ten years instead of five years to get permanent residency. Migrants will also have to undergo a number of new examinations to show that they can be good citizens.
On Monday, Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said that people will have to earn the right to claim indefinite permission to remain (ILR). Bloomberg says that this status gives you access to some welfare benefits, lets you work in the UK, and gives you a way to become a citizen.
The time it takes to process long-term stay applications has been increased, so foreigners must now wait ten years to apply. Applicants must meet certain requirements, such as:
Paying into national insurance
Getting really good at English
Helping out at local charity
Mahmood remarked at Labour’s annual conference in Liverpool, “The truth is that people all over this country feel like things are getting out of hand.” She said, “When they hear about a lot of illegal work that hurts British workers, they think the system is rigged.”
This is part of Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s campaign on illegal immigration, which has included things like digital IDs and deportation procedures.
Reform UK suggested getting rid of the ILR status altogether earlier this month and replacing it with a five-year renewable visa system. This put even more pressure on the Labour government to deal with immigration issues.
What this means for Indian workers in the UK
Indians make up one of the biggest groups of migrants, workers, and students in the UK, therefore the new regulations might have big effects. The longer wait for residency and the extra citizenship tests may make things more expensive and unpredictable for Indian nationals.
As of December 2024, there were 975,100 Indian nationals working in the UK, which is more than any other non-UK nationality, according to data from the British government. From December 2023 to December 2024, the number of UK nationals working fell by 241,000, and the number of EU nationals working fell by 80,200.
The UK gave 81,463 work visas to Indian citizens in 2024. 34,954 of these were main applicants, while 46,409 were dependents. The Health and Care Worker Visa and the Skilled Worker Visa were two of the most popular types. But this was a 50% decline from the 162,655 visas that were given out in 2023.
India and the UK inked a free trade agreement in July 2025 that said Britain will make it easier for Indian workers to get jobs. The Double Contribution Convention (DCC), for instance, exempted Indian workers and employers from paying UK social security contributions for three years. This saved IT and financial service companies a lot of money when they sent workers to the UK on work visas.
The UK also set a limit of 1,800 Indian traditional cooks, yoga instructors, and classical musicians who might enter as contractual service suppliers each year. They could stay for up to 12 months at a time within any 24-month period.