Almost half of voters want migrants who already live and work in the UK to be exempt from tough reforms on UK settlements, exclusive polling for The i Paper shows.
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood wants to double the waiting period for immigrants to qualify for permanent residency – indefinite leave to remain (ILR) – from five years to 10 years. This would rise to 15 years for lower-paid foreign workers, and shorten for the most skilled.
However, Mahmood is facing a major Labour revolt over the plans, with rebels particularly anxious that she plans to apply the changes to those already in the UK, including lower-skilled social care and health workers.
New polling, conducted by BMG Research for The i Paper, shows the rebels are backed by more voters than not, with 45 per cent saying people already in the UK should be exempt from the new rules.
This compares to a third (33 per cent) who believe the changes should apply to those who already work in the UK.
