British Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has indicated she may soften plans to make it harder for foreign workers to obtain permanent residence in the UK, BBC reported.

Speaking at the Labour Party's annual conference, Mahmood acknowledged that "some have said elements of these reforms are not fair." She said the government would settle on a position balancing fairness for those who came to the UK legally with fairness to British citizens.

Permanent residence, formally known as indefinite leave to remain, allows a person to live, work and study in the UK for as long as they wish and to claim benefits if eligible.

Under Mahmood's proposals, most migrants would have to wait 10 years to qualify, double the current five. Some people who came on health and social care visas could wait up to 15 years.

The plans have drawn opposition from a significant number of Labour MPs and from trade unions. Housing Secretary Angela Rayner, then a backbench MP, earlier this year accused the government of "moving the goalposts" and called the plans "un-British". She maintained her criticism after returning to the cabinet.

Andrea Egan, general secretary of the Unison union, said the changes would unfairly penalise overseas care workers.

Home Office sources said no final decision has been taken on changes to the immigration rules, and that Mahmood used her speech to set out the principles that will guide her.

"As we restore control and fairness to our asylum system, we must do the same for legal migration too," she told delegates. She said settled status should be "earned by those who have shown a consistent commitment to this country".

A Conservative Party spokesperson accused Mahmood of caving in to pressure from Rayner and other Labour MPs, and said the move would harm taxpayers.

Prime Minister Andy Burnham denied that Mahmood had been forced to drop the plans, saying the reforms needed to "strike the right balance". He said the government is considering the range of views submitted to a consultation on the proposals. Asked on LBC radio whether he backed Mahmood or Rayner, he replied that he was "Team Angela and Shabana".

Source: BBC