Legal migrants face longer waits to settle in UK under new rules

Summarised from 4 outlets · 6 reports · Updated 2 Nov, 22:50 · Archive

The home secretary announced changes that will double the time most legal migrants must wait for permanent settlement to ten years.

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood announced sweeping changes to settlement rules for legal migrants on Monday. Most workers on visas will now wait ten years for indefinite leave to remain, up from the current five years. However, exemptions apply for higher earners and key workers.

Those earning at least £50,000 per year will wait only five years, as will public-sector workers including doctors, nurses and teachers. Migrants earning above £125,000 can apply for settlement after three years. Care workers earning at least £25,000 will also qualify after five years. Small boat migrants face a 20-year wait, extending to 30 years if they do not enter work or study.

Mahmood said the changes would be introduced during 2027 and were designed to restore fairness to the immigration system by linking settlement to an immigrant's contribution to Britain. She told lawmakers that her own parents came to the UK from Pakistan because they knew 'we do things differently here'.

The announcement represents a significant softening of Mahmood's original proposals from November, which would have required care workers to wait 15 years and triggered strong opposition from senior Labour figures including Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner and Energy Secretary Miatta Fahnbulleh. Both had criticised the original plans publicly.

How it is being reported

• Just a quarter of arrivals will have to wait longer for leave to remain, Mahmood reveals in her watered-down plansA plan for Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) published yesterday means most foreign care workers will, as they currently do, have to live in Britain for just five years to qualify.Daily Mail · 3 Nov, 00:16
• 'Shabana Mahmood's new immigration rules have cruel catch for carers who we cannot take for granted'To qualify for settlement after five years, care workers must earn at least £25,000 annually. Someone working a standard week on the minimum wage falls just £215 short.The Mirror · 3 Nov, 00:02
• Britain says many migrants will have to wait longer to win the right to stayThe British government says it will double the wait time for many immigrants to settle permanently, although key workers and higher earners will be exemptedThe Independent · 2 Nov, 17:22
• Small boat migrants will be ELIGIBLE for indefinite leave to remain under Shabana Mahmood's watered down reformsSmall boat migrants are eligible to apply for indefinite leave to remain under Shabana Mahmood's latest reforms. Addressing MPs this afternoon, the Home Secretary confirmed that illegal migrants will wait 20 years to achieve settlement in the UK, which will be extended to 30 years if they do not enter work or study. Ms Mahmood said: "Those who commit an immigration breach will see settlement push back to 20 years, while those who have claimed benefits must have had five continuous years without falling on the state before they make their application. "A number of groups will see their path…GB News · 2 Nov, 16:18
• Care workers to be allowed to settle in UK faster under Mahmood’s watered-down plansThose who arrive on a small boat will have to wait up to 30 years to settle permanently in the UKThe Independent · 2 Nov, 15:57
• Legal migrants to face waits of 10 years or more for right to settle in UKThere is speculation that one group of workers will be exempt from the changeThe Independent · 2 Nov, 08:31

In this story: Shabana Mahmood · Angela Rayner · Miatta Fahnbulleh · Chris Philp · UK

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