British taxpayers could be slapped with £5.2BILLION-a-year bill as a result of Labour’s U-turn

On Tuesday, the Home Secretary unveiled plans that were a significant retreat from her initial promise to tighten the pathway to Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR).

Ms Mahmood announced the wait for care workers to gain ILR will be reduced from 15 years to five, even as the Home Office warned the move could cost £10billion.

As Home Office forecasts suggest 1.4 million migrants could secure permanent settlement by the end of the decade, Tory analysis revealed one in three settled non-European Union migrants already claim Universal Credit.

The number of migrants claiming the benefit has skyrocketed by nearly 83,000 since June 2024.

The £5.2billion figure is a Conservative projection based on current claiming rates applied to the number of migrants set to be granted ILR in the coming years.

Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary Helen Whately said: “Our country cannot afford the ballooning benefits bill. People who come to the UK should be contributing, not drawing benefits.

“We will prioritise Brits in the welfare system and stop giving benefits to immigrants. Indefinite Leave to Remain and Limited Leave to Remain will no longer give automatic access to Universal Credit and sickness benefits.

“This will save billions and there’s a principle at stake here too: British citizenship matters We are not a cash machine for the world.”

Under the Home Secretary’s plans, only care workers earning at least £25,000 who arrived in Britain before May 2025 will be eligible for the shorter wait time for ILR.

Migrant arrivals after this date will have to be resident for the full 10-year period.

So-called “Boriswave” migrants will be allowed to apply for a second five-year visa.

Following her decision to exempt care workers from a 15-year wait for ILR, Ms Mahmood was accused of caving to the Left of the Labour Party.

The number of MPs who had been opposed to the proposed legislation could even stretch far beyond 100, around a quarter of the Labour Party.

After being asked whether she felt pressured into the climb-down, the Home Secretary told GB News: “No, look, I disagree. I think this is a transformative package.

“It’s a wholesale change for the terms on which people can get settlement in this country.”

The Home Secretary defended the decision to introduce transitional arrangements for care workers, saying she had recognised the “very unique circumstances” affecting those who came to Britain in the aftermath of the coronavirus pandemic.

The original proposals were expected to save taxpayers billions, with the lifetime cost of allowing care workers and their adult dependants to settle under the existing five-year route estimated at £10billion.

The consultation process involved 202,000 respondents, with just 18 per cent British citizens.

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