Small boat migrants will be ELIGIBLE for indefinite leave to remain under Shabana Mahmood’s watered down reforms

Ms Mahmood said: “Those who commit an immigration breach will see settlement push back to 20 years, while those who have claimed benefits must have had five continuous years without falling on the state before they make their application.

“A number of groups will see their path to settlement remain as today. These include Hong Kong British nationals, overseas members of our armed forces, those with a British connection and those on legacy routes such as Windrush.”

The Home Secretary said that although the Government wants to “open new, safe and legal routes for genuine refugees”, they must also “discourage dangerous and illegal crossings”.

She told MPs: “As we open new, safe and legal routes for genuine refugees, we must also discourage dangerous, unsafe and illegal crossings, and settlement plays a key part in this.

“We will place those who come to this country on one of our new safe and legal routes on a five-year path to settlement. This is as fast a path as higher earners entering Britain today.”

Ms Mahmood made clear: “At the same time, we will discourage the use of unsafe and illegal routes. The standard disqualifying period for all refugees who have not come by a safe and legal route will become 20 years.

“A further ten years will be added for those who enter the country by an illegal method, such as by small boat.

“We do want to promote integration into this country for all those who are here. For that reason, those who enter work or study will be able to earn settlement ten years earlier.

“And this means a refugee who did not arrive by small boat, who is working and studying, could qualify for settlement at 10 years.”

Following the statement, Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp accused Ms Mahmood of taking a “U-turn” on immigration.

He told the Home Secretary: “A Home Office document, which (Ms Mahmood) published on March 5, said that social care workers alone, because they work on lower wages and have brought in many dependents, will actually cost the taxpayer £10 billion.”

“The Home Secretary now proposes to allow every single care worker and their dependents who arrived prior to May 2025, a number running into hundreds of 1000s, to stay in this country beyond the expiry of their visa.

“And, in the case of 75 per cent of them, to stay permanently, even though she acknowledges that many of them arrived fraudulently.”

The Conservative frontbencher continued: “That is the cost of today’s U-turn – £10billion.

“And outside of care workers, many of the so-called highly skilled workers recently arrived are not highly skilled at all.

“It took a year for the Home Secretary to build her reputation as tough on immigration. But what took a year to build, she has just dismantled in 12 short minutes.”

MORE TO FOLLOW…