Many of us came to the UK to pursue our degrees. Then we stayed, becoming legal overseas workers, on various visas. We followed the rules. We paid our taxes. We didn’t rely on public funds. In fact, we paid taxes that support others who do. We contribute, quietly, steadily, and like so many others, without asking for much in return.

 

There are around 7 million legal migrant workers in the UK, making up over 10% of the population, and one in every five working people.

 

 

 

We are doctors, engineers, teachers, carers, researchers, and service staff. We help keep vital systems running, especially where the UK faces workforce shortages.

Recently, proposals to extend the qualifying period for Indefinite Leave to Remain from five to ten years have raised deep concern. These changes profoundly affect legal migrant workers' futures. It delays their sense of security, family planning, and long-term commitments. Yet they were introduced with no meaningful consultation with the very people who would be most affected.

 

 

 

We are seeing how news, policies might affect us but we can only stay silent. Not because we’re quiet - but because the system isn’t built to listen.

‘Immigration’ is often used as a political headline. We’re included in the numbers, but excluded from the conversation. Rules tighten. Fees rise. Futures become uncertain. And we’re left to carry the cost, financially, emotionally, and silently. But this isn’t just about cost. It’s about fairness. And dignity.

We ask the UK Government to:

1. Stop treating legal migrant workers as a silent group to be managed.
   Clearly separate legal migrants from illegal immigration in all policy and public messaging.
2. Recognise the stabilising role legal migrant workers play,  and the confidence this brings to global employers and investors choosing to build in the UK.
3. Involve legal migrant voices, especially those without citizenship, in political and policy changes that directly affects their lives.
4. Ensure legal migrant representation in discussions on immigration policy reforms, visa and settlement rules (such as ILR), and public consultations related to workforce, housing, and social integration. Establish clear mechanisms to distinguish legal migrants in media briefings, parliamentary debates, and government reports.