Over 70 parliamentarians join our call to axe retrospective settlement plans

The Work Rights Centre, working with Labour MP Neil  Duncan-Jordan, has delivered an open letter to Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood, urging her to axe retrospective settlement plans immediately. The letter is also signed by Unison General Secretary Andrea Egan, 53 MPs, 21 peers, and 33 civil society organisations.

Delivered to the Home Office on Wednesday 11 February, our letter warns that plans to double the settlement period for most migrants to 10 years and 15 years for care workers will “undermine the Government’s priorities for economic growth, reducing child poverty and strong public services.”

Appealing to Ministers’ sense of “British values”, the letter notes: “The British public believe in fair play: that if you work hard, follow the rules and contribute, Government should tread lightly on your life.” It calls on the Government to “uphold its promises – we cannot simply change the rules halfway through an agreed process.”

Published without an Impact Assessment, neither ministers nor the general public can know how the sweeping immigration reforms will affect the economy, public services and communities. The Department for Health and Social Care recently confirmed that it does not know how many NHS workers would be affected by the plans.

This lack of information casts doubt on the validity of the government’s consultation. The signatories call on ministers to restart the consultation process once a full Impact Assessment and a Child Rights Impact Assessment are released by the government.

The letter comes hot on the tails of a packed Westminster Hall debate where nearly 50 Labour MPs spoke against the Home Secretary’s plans. There are concerns the proposals will not be put to a vote, blocking transparency of the changes and shutting out democracy.

We make two recommendations to the Home Office:

1. Halt the consultation process until a full Impact Assessment is published
2. Rule out retrospective application

Dr Dora-Olivia Vicol, CEO of the Work Rights Centre CEO said: 

“These plans condemn migrant workers to at least a decade of sponsorship, tied to employers for years with no opportunity for upward mobility, and at risk of exploitation.

"They reduce contribution to the balance on a payslip, and penalise the most vulnerable for getting sick or being a refugee.

"Retrospective application means that while migrant workers have upheld their side of the contract, the UK government is trying to renege on its own.

“It is simply not right to canvas the public’s view on the biggest shake-up to the immigration system in 50 years when the government has not assessed the potential impact on commutes, public services, and our economy.

"This consultation is a farce and it must be restarted with the full picture made available to the public.”