Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the impact of changes to Indefinite Leave to Remain criteria on the number of staff in the social care sector.

The earned settlement model, proposed in ‘A Fairer Pathway to Settlement’, announced changes to the mandatory requirements and qualifying period for indefinite leave to remain. It was subject to a public consultation, which ran until 12 February 2026.

As part of this consultation, we are seeking views on the potential impact of the proposed changes on different groups, including those working in sectors such as social care. Details of the earned settlement model will be finalised following the consultation.

The final proposals will also be subject to full economic and equality impact assessments, which we have committed to publish in due course.