Doctors and nurses can still get ILR in five years, but care workers, of which the majority are Indian, who arrived between 2022 and 2024, will have to wait 15 years. There may be an exodus of Indian care workers now.”Sandeep Shetty, who is trained in agentic AI, is on a skilled worker visa after being recruited directly from Bengaluru. He may now have to wait 10 years to get an ILR.“When I came here, there was a clear path for ILR in five years which made the UK an attractive option. Skilled workers in general face limited career mobility because the visa ties them to a sponsoring employer, and switching roles can be difficult. The skilled worker visa should not be the priority of policy makers.

Source: The Times November 21, 2025 19:41 UTC