According to an analysis by the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR), more than 300,000 children in the UK could face a 10-year wait for permanent residency under new Home Office proposals. These changes would double the time most migrant workers must wait for settled status to 10 years. For those working in jobs that do not require a university degree, the wait would stretch to 15 years.

The IPPR warns that applying these rules to people who are already in the country is unfair. This retrospective approach would punish those who arrived under previous rules, leaving families in a state of long-term uncertainty. Some Labour MPs have criticized the plan to change the rules for current residents, calling the move "un-British" and unjust. However, Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood defended the plan, stating that living permanently in the UK is a privilege and that extending the waiting period is the right step.