UK Proposes Doubling Residency Requirement for Permanent Settlement to Ten Years

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has announced a major overhaul of the rules for permanent settlement in the country, proposing to double the standard residency requirement from five years to 10 years.

Settlement Rules

Under the proposed 10-year pathway, applicants must have earned at least £12,571 for five of the seven years immediately before getting settlement. However, a shorter five-year qualifying period will apply to specific groups. These include people earning at least £50,271 for three of five years before applying, and care workers earning at least £25,000 annually who arrived before May 2025. Skilled public service workers like doctors, nurses, and teachers also qualify in five years, alongside lower-skilled health and education workers who arrived before May 2025 and people from Hong Kong with British National (Overseas) status.

Fast-Track and Penalties

High earners making over £125,141 a year and highly skilled migrants on Global Talent or Innovator Founder visas can qualify in three years. Conversely, migrants who claimed certain benefits or broke immigration rules must wait at least 20 years to settle. All applicants will need a record of sustained National Insurance Contributions.

Refugee Guidelines

Refugees arriving via an official government scheme qualify for settlement after five years. Other refugees must wait 10 years and work or study, or 20 years if they do not. Refugees arriving by small boat or another illegal route face a 20-year wait if they work or study, and 30 years if they do not.

Context

Indefinite leave to remain gives people the right to live, work, and study in the country for as long as they choose, and allows them to apply for British citizenship after 12 months if they meet other requirements. These proposed policy changes apply to migrants currently living in the country, though they will not affect individuals who have already been granted settlement.