Migrants coming to the UK will generally have to wait 10 years before gaining the right to settle permanently, under reforms presented to Parliament.
Permanent settlement, which provides unrestricted access to the labour market, NHS and welfare system, will no longer usually follow automatically after five years. The time applicants must wait will depend on their contribution and character.
The highest earners will be eligible to settle after three years. People earning more than £50,271, along with some public service workers including doctors, nurses and teachers, will qualify after five years. Those who breach immigration rules will face a minimum wait of 20 years.
All applicants, regardless of when they arrived in the UK, will have to meet four conditions: a spotless criminal record, an increase from the current threshold of a 12-month suspended sentence; English spoken to a high standard equivalent to A-Level English as a foreign language; no debts to the taxpayer; and a sustained record of National Insurance contributions.
The reforms broadly follow the proposals published in the November 2025 consultation, but include a new arrangement for care workers.
Those who complied with their visa conditions and earned at least £25,000 a year will be able to apply for settlement after five years, recognising the contribution made by care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic.
However, the government said the route had also been abused by exploitative companies sponsoring overseas workers for jobs that did not exist. Since taking office, it said 1,800 employers had lost the right to sponsor foreign workers.
Care workers who do not qualify for five-year settlement – estimated to be about a quarter of the total – will be offered a further five-year visa. They can apply for settlement only after completing it. A similar system will apply to healthcare and education workers who arrived during the same period.
The new rules will be assessed when an application is made, as has traditionally been the case in the UK and internationally. The government estimates more than 500,000 people will wait longer than five years to settle, reducing the welfare bill by billions. No one will be required to leave, and applicants will have the opportunity to obtain visas allowing settlement after 10 years.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham said: “People want to see an immigration system based on control, contribution, and which rewards those who play by the rules.”
He said the proposals recognised the contribution of overseas workers, adding that the previous government had lost control of immigration after Brexit and overseen an unprecedented rise in numbers.
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said settled status was “one of the most valuable rights this country can offer” and “must be earned”.
Refugees arriving through Home Office-approved routes will be able to settle after five years. Others will face a 20-year wait, reduced to 10 years if they work or study. Anyone arriving by small boat or another clandestine route will receive an additional 10-year wait, meaning settlement could take up to 30 years.
Existing settled status will not be removed. Family members of British citizens, Hong Kong British Nationals (Overseas) and members of the armed forces will retain their current routes. The government also said the UK would have Europe’s most business-friendly migration system for highly skilled workers.
