// BBC UK NEWS — CRONACA
Unions urge ministers to soften planned changes to immigration rules
The proposals were announced last year by Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood
Trade unions are putting pressure on the government to soften proposed changes to immigration rules, which would make it harder for foreign workers to secure permanent residency in the UK.
If the plans are approved, most migrants would have to wait 10 years to qualify for permanent residence, rather than five years, while foreign workers on health and social care visas would face a 15-year wait.
The proposals were announced last year by Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood, who has kept the same role under new Prime Minister Andy Burnham.
Delegates at the Trades Union Congress (TUC) backed a motion calling for any changes affecting workers already in the UK to be withdrawn.
A government spokesperson said ministers had received 200,000 responses to a consultation on the proposals, which was launched under Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, and they were carefully considering them.
Mahmood has previously defended the plans, saying the "unprecedented" number of people arriving in the UK demands an answer from the government.
Under the government's proposals the standard wait to qualify for settlement, also known as indefinite leave to remain, would increase to 10 years.
People who arrived on health and social care visas would face a 15-year wait, while those who relied on benefits for more than 12 months would have to wait 20 years.
Indefinite leave to remain gives a person the right to live, work and study in the UK for as long as they like and apply for benefits if they are eligible.