Families of nurses and carers have said they fear being torn apart under an immigration crackdown condemned as \u201can act of economic vandalism\u201d.<\/p>\n
A survey of more than 1,000 people, many of whom moved to Britain to work or study, found that three in five worry about being separated from their relatives.<\/p>\n
Two-thirds said they felt less welcome in the UK as a result of Shabana Mahmood\u2019s proposals, according to the charity Praxis. More than half said they were less likely to remain in the UK.<\/p>\n
The home secretary is facing opposition from Labour<\/a> MPs over an overhaul of immigration rules that has been seen as an attempt to combat the rise of Nigel Farage\u2019s Reform UK.<\/p>\n Ministers want to double the time it takes most migrant workers to qualify for permanent residence, from five years to 10. For people in jobs below graduate level \u2013 including many care workers \u2013 the default will be extended to 15 years.<\/p>\n In a Praxis survey of 1,072 people likely to be affected by the changes, nearly half were on work visas, with one in three working in health and social care, one in 10 in education, and 15% in IT.<\/p>\n One in seven were on family visas, and 12% were Hongkongers who moved to Britain after the imposition of China\u2019s national security law in Hong Kong in 2020.<\/p>\n Minnie Rahman, the chief executive of Praxis, said: \u201cOur findings highlight that these proposals are yet another act of economic vandalism from our government.<\/p>\n \u201cWe all know migrants bring vital skills and experience to crucial sectors of our economy \u2013 almost half of those who took part in our survey work in critical sectors like the NHS, social care and IT. The government needs to stop penalising migrant communities and start reflecting that reality.\u201d<\/p>\n More than 300,000 children already living in the UK could be forced to wait 10 years for settled status under the changes, according to research published this week<\/a> by the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR).<\/p>\n