MORE than 45 migrant rights groups have condemned the government’s proposed “earned settlement” reforms as “racist and classist,” warning they would deepen exploitation and insecurity for migrant communities.

Groups including the Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants, Refugee Action and Barac have co-signed a joint statement opposing Labour’s plans to overhaul settlement rules, which could take effect as early as April following a Home Office consultation.

Settlement, also known as indefinite leave to remain, grants the right to live and work in Britain permanently and is required before applying for British citizenship. 

Under current rules, most migrants can apply after five years, subject to conditions.

But proposals set out in the government’s May white paper, “Restoring control over the immigration system,” would increase the default qualifying period to 10 years, with settlement potentially “earned” earlier based on conduct, contribution and integration. 

The statement said: “The proposals and consultation are fundamentally racist and classist. 

“They attack all our communities and, if implemented, would undermine everyone’s rights and conditions – whether you are born in the UK or not.

“The aim is to create an even more racist and hostile environment in this country, with a hyper-exploited, hyper-insecure and hyper-precarious underclass of largely racialised workers. This is wrong and unjust.”

They warned the changes would further punish refugees and people seeking protection, saying: “Settlement is a right.

“Everyone should have the right to feel safe and stable wherever they live, in the knowledge that they can stay permanently and build their lives, relationships, families, and communities.”

The statement also accused the government of attacking workers by creating a hierarchy based on job type.

“The government’s attempts via the proposals and consultation to create a hierarchy of workers based on the type of job they do, specifically targeting and devaluing health and care work, is shameful,” it said.

Campaigners highlighted Britain’s colonial legacy, noting that migrants from former colonies were encouraged to rebuild the country after the second world war and continue to “form the backbone of the labour force,” while remaining highly exploited and precarious.

They rejected attempts to divide communities and accused the government of fuelling a “false moral panic” around illegality, pledging to resist a “cruel and draconian onslaught” on the rights of people who move.