Angela Rayner criticises visa rule proposals in UK

Housing Secretary Angela Rayner has voiced strong concerns over the Labour government's proposed immigration overhaul, which would make it significantly harder for foreign nationals to secure permanent residency in the UK. The remarks, delivered just ahead of the Labour Party conference, represent a rare and direct cabinet-level challenge to a policy inherited from former Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer.

Under the contested proposals, most migrants would face a 10-year wait to qualify for settlement, doubling the current five-year requirement. Meanwhile, foreign workers arriving on health and social care visas would be subjected to an even longer 15-year waiting period before gaining permanent residency status.

Stock photo for illustration only, not from the actual event

Speaking in an interview with the Times, Rayner criticized the idea of shifting the goalposts years down the line for individuals who arrived in the UK at the beginning of the decade expecting to settle under existing rules. She emphasized that the adjustments would unfairly impact overseas care workers who relocated their lives to look after vulnerable people in Britain.

"Shifting the goalposts years down the line for people who arrived in the UK at the beginning of this decade."

Angela Rayner

Rayner's stance has found support among trade unions and backbench Labour MPs, including York Central MP Rachael Maskell, who have urged Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood to rethink the strategy. Although Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy rejected characterizations of the plan as un-British, she acknowledged during media appearances that the administration reserves the right to adjust its position if necessary.