Most migrant workers will have to wait longer to qualify for permanent residence under the government's proposals.
Addressing the Mainstream group, a centre-left organisation associated with Labour, Rayner also warned the "very survival of the Labour Party is at stake", saying it "cannot just go through the motions in the face of decline", adding: "We're running out of time."
On the changes to migration proposed by Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood, she said there are people who now "fear for their future" due to the prospect of the government "moving the goalposts".
Some Labour MPs have expressed concerns about the proposals, but Mahmood has described the reforms as "fair" and required to avoid a "drain on our public finances".
On Wednesday afternoon, the prime minister's press secretary would not explicitly say the government was committed to introducing the key plank of planned immigration reforms, saying instead that it would consider responses to the consultation and respond.
Asked if the government's plan is still to extend the period of time before people can apply for indefinite leave to remain, he did not directly answer but said the government had set out the principles that people who had worked, paid their taxes and made a bigger contribution should have a faster route to settlement.
Pressed on whether he was opening the door to a potential watering down, he said that as with all consultations, the government would consider responses, before responding "in due course".
The Home Office later clarified that it was consulting to apply the change to those who are currently in the UK but who have not received settled status.
A spokesperson said: "The government will double the route to settlement from five to 10 years."
Settlement, also known as indefinite leave to remain, gives a person the right to live, work and study in the UK for as long as they like and apply for benefits if they are eligible.
The Home Office has said its figures show net migration - the difference between those entering and leaving the country - added 2.6 million people to the UK population between 2021 and 2024.
The department forecast around 1.6m people could therefore settle between 2026 and 2030.
Disclaimer
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