Earned settlement: government analysing feedback on UK settlement reform

The Home Office has closed its consultation on reforming how people qualify for settlement in the UK. The consultation page on GOV.UK says the government is analysing the feedback it received, and that the outcome will be available to download on the same page.

What the reform is about

Settlement, also known as Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR), is the right to live in the UK permanently without immigration restrictions. According to GOV.UK, the 2025 immigration white paper ("Restoring Control over the Immigration System") announced that settlement would no longer be granted automatically after a fixed period. Migrants will have to "earn" it by showing good conduct, contribution and integration.

The consultation ran from 20 November 2025 to 11:59pm on 12 February 2026. It was run by the Home Office together with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, the Department for Work and Pensions and HM Treasury.

Proposed changes according to a parliamentary committee

The details of the model were set out in a report by the House of Commons Home Affairs Committee. It says the government proposes to lengthen the standard qualifying period for ILR from 5 to 10 years. That period would then be shortened or lengthened depending on criteria that measure individual contribution.

Examples named by the committee include:

• a shorter wait for higher earners and fluent English speakers,
• a longer wait for people who claim benefits or entered the UK illegally.

The government also consulted on whether to apply the No Recourse to Public Funds condition to people who hold ILR. According to the committee, refugees could qualify for settlement after 10 years by moving to a new "work and study" route, the details of which have not been confirmed.

The committee noted that the changes would make the UK an outlier among high-income countries, where the standard period is usually up to five years. The report says Switzerland and Japan have 10-year routes. MPs also cited evidence that the reform could increase child poverty, especially in families of care workers and families on the current 10-year family or private life route.

What this means for you

For now these are proposals, not rules in force. The GOV.UK page gives no date for publishing the consultation outcome or for the changes to take effect. The material we checked does not say how the reform would affect people with status under the EU Settlement Scheme. People planning to apply for ILR on other grounds, for example on a work visa, should follow Home Office announcements and, if in doubt, consult an immigration adviser.