Skill Migrants Alliance Limited

08/10/2026

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐬𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐥𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐍𝐎𝐓 𝐬𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐲 “𝟏𝟎 𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐬.”

The ILPA briefing highlights that, for main applicant Skilled Workers, the estimated outcomes could be:

🔹 44% — potentially 5 years or less
🔹 8% — potentially 10 years
🔹 48% — potentially 15 years or more

This is why it is important that Skilled Workers understand the proposals and make their voices heard.

𝗔𝗖𝗧 𝗡𝗢𝗪 — 𝗖𝗢𝗡𝗧𝗔𝗖𝗧 𝗬𝗢𝗨𝗥 𝗠𝗣

If you are an existing Skilled Worker, please write to your local MP and ask them to consider the impact of these proposals on people who came to the UK under the existing settlement pathway.

Help yourself 👉🏾 https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vb7EOGMATRSppxOnjA2C/225

You can explain your personal circumstances, how long you have lived and worked in the UK, and why fair transitional arrangements for existing Skilled Workers matter to you.

Please don’t wait until the final rules are announced. Contact your MP now and make your voice heard through the proper democratic process.

Share this with other Skilled Workers and encourage them to contact their MPs.

04/10/2026

𝐋𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐀𝐭𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐲 𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐥'𝐬 𝐎𝐟𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐞

SMAL has sent a formal letter to the Attorney General's Office asking it to clarify what counts as a change having "retrospective effect" under government policy, and whether that protection applies to the Immigration Rules.

🔗 https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2026-08-28/20417

We did this because of concern over proposed changes to settlement qualifying periods, including suggestions that the Skilled Worker route's five year qualifying period for settlement could be extended to ten years and applied to people already partway through it. Someone who is four and a half years into the five year route would go from having completed ninety percent of their qualifying period to having completed less than half of a new one, even though none of their past residence stops being lawful.

The Attorney General's Office has said publicly that government departments must get Law Officer consent before bringing in any rule that is retrospective or has retrospective effect, and that this is only allowed when the public interest in doing so outweighs the public interest in not changing the law retrospectively. Our letter asks whether that same principle applies to the Immigration Rules, and whether the kind of change described above would count as having retrospective effect.

We are not asking for legal advice on anyone's individual case, and this letter does not change any rules on its own. We will share the response when we receive one, and update the community on what it means for settlement planning.

𝙎𝙠𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙈𝙞𝙜𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙩𝙨 𝘼𝙡𝙡𝙞𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙇𝙞𝙢𝙞𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙏𝙚𝙖𝙢

01/10/2026

𝐅𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰 𝐮𝐬 𝐨𝐧 𝐬𝐨𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐦𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐚 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐲 𝐮𝐩𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐧𝐞𝐰𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬.

👉🏾 WhatsApp channel - https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vb7EOGMATRSppxOnjA2C

👉🏾 YouTube - https://youtube.com/?si=5JDMV8MS_sRXSgLZ

30/09/2026

𝐏𝐋𝐄𝐀𝐒𝐄 𝐅𝐎𝐋𝐋𝐎𝐖 𝐔𝐏 𝐖𝐈𝐓𝐇 𝐘𝐎𝐔𝐑 𝐌𝐏

This is an important moment to remind our MPs that migrant workers are already living, working and contributing in their constituencies.

👉 Find the general template (Open in external browser) - https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vb7EOGMATRSppxOnjA2C/224

👉 Reply to the email you received from your MP.

👉 Briefly explain your situation and how the proposed changes could affect you and your family.

👉 Ask your MP to support proper transitional protection for people who are already in the UK and were given an existing pathway to settlement.

👉 Ask them to raise this issue with the Home Secretary and the Government.

Please keep your message personal and respectful. Your own story and circumstances matter.

Let’s make sure our MPs hear directly from the people who would be affected.

29/09/2026

𝐂𝐎𝐌𝐌𝐔𝐍𝐈𝐓𝐘 𝐏𝐎𝐋𝐋

With the latest developments around Earned Settlement, we want to understand where our community stands.

Please take a moment to vote in the poll and select the option that best reflects your current situation or understanding.

Vote here 👉🏾 https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vb7EOGMATRSppxOnjA2C/223

Your response will help us understand the concerns and expectations across our community.

🗳️ Please vote — every response matters.

27/09/2026

𝐍𝐇𝐒-𝐒𝐓𝐘𝐋𝐄 𝐒𝐎𝐂𝐈𝐀𝐋 𝐂𝐀𝐑𝐄 𝐅𝐎𝐑 𝐄𝐍𝐆𝐋𝐀𝐍𝐃?

Andy Burnham has announced plans for a major reform of social care in England, proposing an NHS style service that would be free at the point of use.

Speaking ahead of the Labour Party conference, Burnham said he wants to “rip the plaster off” the current social care system and create a universal service for people across England.

He acknowledged that such a reform would require significant funding and said the service would ultimately be funded collectively by taxpayers. However, he has not yet announced the detailed funding arrangements or exactly how the system would operate.

Importantly, this is a long term proposal and not an immediate change to the current social care system or immigration rules. Burnham said the proposal would be included in Labour’s next general election manifesto, meaning voters would have the opportunity to decide on it at the next election.

For care workers and migrant workers, this is an important development because any major reform of social care could have consequences for the future structure and funding of the care sector. However, it is too early to say what the impact would be on workers, employers, wages or immigration.

This announcement should also not be confused with the current Skilled Worker ILR debate. It does not change the existing settlement rules or the government’s proposed changes to the ILR qualifying period.

© 2026 𝘚𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘩𝘢 𝘏𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘪 𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘳𝘪 - 𝘊𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘝𝘰𝘪𝘤𝘦 𝘈𝘭𝘭 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘦𝘥.

27/09/2026

SMAL has issued the following statement regarding the proposed changes to settlement and ILR rules.

At this stage, we are waiting for the formal rules and their effective dates. Please read the statement below and stay connected with your regional groups.

SMAL is preparing to respond collectively and will provide clear guidance when confirmed information and specific action are available.

Please share this with other Skilled Workers who may be affected.

𝙎𝙠𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙈𝙞𝙜𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙩𝙨 𝘼𝙡𝙡𝙞𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙇𝙞𝙢𝙞𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙏𝙚𝙖𝙢

20/09/2026

𝐍𝐞𝐰 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐀𝐝𝐮𝐥𝐭 𝐒𝐨𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐂𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐀𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐒𝐩𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐨𝐫 𝐋𝐢𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧

𝐍𝐞𝐰 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐀𝐝𝐮𝐥𝐭 𝐒𝐨𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐂𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐀𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐒𝐩𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐨𝐫 𝐋𝐢𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧

The Home Office has introduced a temporary arrangement that is particularly important for people working in adult social care under the Skilled Worker and Health and Care Worker routes.

The new Home Office caseworker guidance, updated in September 2026, says that where a person is a care worker or senior care worker in the specified occupation codes, their immigration permission must not be cancelled if the only reason for cancellation is that their sponsor’s licence has been revoked.

The specified occupation codes include:

• 6135 – Care workers and home carers
• 6136 – Senior care workers
• 6145 – Care workers and home carers
• 6146 – Senior care workers

This is a significant change because the loss or revocation of a sponsor’s licence can otherwise lead to immigration permission being cancelled or shortened. The new guidance specifically tells Home Office caseworkers not to cancel the permission of qualifying adult social care workers solely because their sponsor’s licence has been revoked.

🔺What does this actually mean?

It does NOT mean that a Skilled Worker can simply start working for another employer.

If you find a new employer, you still need to follow the proper change-of-employment process. A new employer normally needs to provide a new Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS), and the worker must make a change-of-employment application to update their Skilled Worker permission. GOV.UK confirms that changing employer requires an application to update the visa. (GOV.UK)

Most importantly, a person should not simply start working for the new employer while waiting for the application to be decided. The sponsor guidance states that the change-of-employment application must be approved and the sponsor must complete the relevant right-to-work checks before the worker can start the new job. (GOV.UK)

Therefore, the new arrangement should not be understood as:

“Sponsor lost licence → immediately work for another employer.”

Instead, it is closer to:

“Existing sponsor loses licence → qualifying adult social care worker receives protection from cancellation solely because of that revocation → worker has an opportunity to arrange a new sponsorship and complete the correct immigration process.”

There is another important point. The new protection is not a general protection for every Skilled Worker. It specifically applies to the adult social care occupations listed in the Home Office guidance, and it applies where sponsor licence revocation is the sole reason for cancellation. If there is another reason for cancellation, the Home Office can still consider that under the normal rules.

The arrangement is also described by the Home Office as temporary and subject to regular review. Therefore, workers and organisations should continue to monitor future Home Office updates.

For Skilled Workers generally, the wider message is also important. Changing employer remains an immigration matter. A person cannot simply move from one sponsor to another because they have found a new job. The appropriate application and immigration permission must be dealt with first.

This update therefore provides a specific layer of protection for qualifying adult social care workers whose immigration situation is affected by their sponsor losing its licence. It does not remove the requirement to follow the Skilled Worker change-of-employment process.

As always, workers should check their individual circumstances and obtain regulated immigration advice where necessary.

© 2026 𝘚𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘩𝘢 𝘏𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘪 𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘳𝘪 - 𝘊𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘝𝘰𝘪𝘤𝘦 𝘈𝘭𝘭 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘦𝘥.

17/09/2026

𝐒𝐌𝐀𝐋 𝐎𝐅𝐅𝐈𝐂𝐈𝐀𝐋 𝐔𝐏𝐃𝐀𝐓𝐄

Skill Migrants Alliance Limited has received an official response from Jo White MP, Minister for Migration & Citizenship, regarding our concerns about the proposed earned settlement reforms.

We are sharing the full letter with our community so that everyone can read the Government’s response directly and understand where the process currently stands.

The Government has confirmed that the final earned settlement model has not yet been decided. It has also confirmed that the consultation specifically considered transitional arrangements for people who are already on a pathway to settlement.

We welcome the fact that this issue has been formally recognised and remains under consideration.

However, SMAL’s position remains clear.

We are fighting against the retrospective application of settlement rule changes to people who came to the UK under an existing pathway and have been building their lives around those rules.

Even if the Government introduces transitional arrangements or seeks to present the changes in another form, SMAL will continue to stand against retrospective changes that undermine the settlement expectations of people already in the system.

This is bigger than just today’s proposed change.

If governments can retrospectively change the settlement conditions for people who have already entered the country under an established pathway, future governments could also change the rules again in whatever direction they choose.

That is why SMAL believes this issue is about fairness, certainty and trust in the immigration system.

We will continue to make our position clear, continue to engage with the process, and continue to represent Skilled Workers and their families.

The final decision has not been made.

The fight continues.

𝙎𝙠𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙈𝙞𝙜𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙩𝙨 𝘼𝙡𝙡𝙞𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙇𝙞𝙢𝙞𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙏𝙚𝙖𝙢

03/09/2026

𝐍𝐞𝐰 𝐈𝐦𝐦𝐢𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐑𝐮𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐬. 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐒𝐤𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐍𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐊𝐧𝐨𝐰

𝐍𝐞𝐰 𝐈𝐦𝐦𝐢𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐑𝐮𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐬. 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐒𝐤𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐍𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐊𝐧𝐨𝐰

The Home Office laid a new Statement of Changes to the Immigration Rules (HC 584) before Parliament on 3 September 2026. Most of the changes relate to areas like the EU Settlement Scheme, the Erasmus+ programme, and domestic abuse protections. Two changes specifically affect the Skilled Worker route, and one of them matters for anyone on a Skilled Worker visa who has experienced exploitation.

🔺Skilled Workers identified as victims of modern slavery can now work for any employer

Under the current rules, a Skilled Worker visa ties you to the job and employer named on your Certificate of Sponsorship. If you stop working in that specific role, you are normally in breach of your visa conditions.

This change removes that restriction for Skilled Workers who are formally identified by the Home Office Competent Authorities as victims of modern slavery. Once identified, a person in this position will be able to work for any employer for the rest of the time left on their existing visa, rather than being locked into the sponsoring employer.

This matters because one of the biggest barriers stopping exploited workers from coming forward has been fear of losing their immigration status the moment they leave an abusive employer. This change is intended to reduce that fear and make it safer to report exploitation.

It is important to be clear about what this does not change. It does not create a new route to reporting modern slavery, and it does not apply automatically. A person still needs to be formally identified as a victim of modern slavery through the existing National Referral Mechanism process before this flexibility applies.

🔺When these changes take effect

Changes come into force on 8 October 2026.

🔺What this means for our community

For the great majority of people we support through the Skilled Worker route, including care workers, nothing changes in day-to-day terms. Salary thresholds, sponsorship requirements, and the Certificate of Sponsorship process are untouched by this Statement of Changes.

The one change worth remembering, and worth sharing, is the modern slavery provision. If you know someone in an exploitative sponsorship situation who has been holding back from reporting it out of fear of losing their visa, this is a real, concrete change that reduces that risk from 8 October 2026 onward.

Source of information - https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/statement-of-changes-to-the-immigration-rules-hc-584-3-september-2026/explanatory-memorandum-to-the-statement-of-changes-in-immigration-rules-hc-584-3-september-2026-accessible

© 2026 𝘚𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘩𝘢 𝘏𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘪 𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘳𝘪 - 𝘊𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘝𝘰𝘪𝘤𝘦 𝘈𝘭𝘭 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘦𝘥.