Labour MP Richard Burgon has joined UNISON campaigners in calling on ministers to scrap proposals that could make migrant care workers wait 15 years to qualify for settlement.
The Leeds East MP spoke at the union's Fair Visa demonstration in Liverpool on 28 September, where organisers said around 400 people attended. Fellow Labour MP Kim Johnson also addressed the rally.
Burgon: migrant workers keep the NHS and care system functioning
"Migrant workers keep our NHS and social care system functioning. We owe them so much," Burgon wrote afterwards. "The Government must scrap this plan."
The Home Office's earned settlement consultation proposes raising the standard qualifying period to ten years, with a 15-year starting point for workers sponsored in occupations classified below degree level - a category that includes most care roles. Reductions linked to contribution and integration would still be available, so the change is not a blanket 15-year wait for every migrant NHS employee.
UNISON's Fair Visa campaign
UNISON wants the five-year qualifying period for skilled workers retained. It is also pressing for sector-wide visa sponsorship in social care, arguing that tying workers to individual employers leaves them more exposed to exploitation.
General secretary Andrea Egan told the rally that a National Care Service would only succeed if care workers were treated with respect and staff retention improved. The union warned against rewriting the expectations of people who came to Britain to deliver essential services.
Burgon's intervention puts the settlement proposals under pressure from inside Labour's own ranks as ministers weigh the consultation responses.
