By Ademuyiwa Balikis
The United Kingdom is set to introduce the biggest shake up of its migration and settlement system in decades, as Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood announced a new earned settlement model that will significantly extend the time many migrants must wait before gaining permanent residency.
Under the current rules, most people become eligible for Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) after five years in the country. The new plan proposes to double this to a standard 10 year wait, with additional conditions migrants must meet before they can settle permanently.
Mahmood told Parliament that settlement in the UK is not a right, but a privilege, adding that the reforms are designed to reward contribution, encourage integration, and strengthen fairness within the immigration system.
While the general wait will rise to a decade, some groups will qualify much earlier.
High income earners paying higher rate tax could be eligible for ILR after five years, while those paying the top rate of tax may qualify in just three years. Migrants on Global Talent visas, including leaders in academia, research, arts, and digital technology, would also be able to settle after three years.
NHS workers and other senior public service professionals, such as doctors and nurses, are set to receive a five year fast track, in recognition of their contribution to essential services.
Extensive volunteering in local communities could help shorten the settlement timeline. Government officials are developing the criteria, but early proposals suggest that migrants who perform significant unpaid community work may reduce their qualifying period by three to five years.
Under the proposals, four core criteria must be met before settlement is granted. Migrants must:
Have no criminal record; Demonstrate English ability equivalent to A-level; Have no outstanding debt; Show at least three years of National Insurance contributions.
The government will also introduce penalties for those who have relied on public funds. Migrants who have claimed benefits for less than a year may wait 15 years before qualifying for ILR, while those who claimed for longer could face a 20 year wait.
One of the most contentious aspects of the overhaul is a proposed 20 year penalty for people who entered the UK illegally, including small boat arrivals, visa overstayers, and those who entered clandestinely. This could push their total wait for settlement to 30 years.
Refugee organisations have warned that the changes could leave vulnerable people in decades of uncertainty. The Refugee Council said the proposals risk trapping people who have fled war and persecution in three decades of instability and stress.
Mahmood stressed that the reforms will not apply to people who already hold settled status, calling it un-British to change the rules retrospectively.
However, migrants currently living in the UK who have not yet reached the settlement stage may be affected once the new rules take effect, expected early next year.
Some elements of the reform such as how volunteering will be measured remain under consultation. The Home Office is working on the detailed framework that will determine how the new model is applied across different visa routes.
The overhaul comes days after Mahmood announced separate changes to the UK’s asylum rules, which have already sparked strong debate. Together, the measures represent a major shift in how the UK determines who is allowed to settle permanently, with the government insisting the changes will create a fairer and more contribution based system.
