Home Office: 10-year wait for settlement in UK, 15 for some

According to Polish Express, Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood was due to announce in Parliament on Monday 2 November 2026 her final decision on the rules for indefinite leave to remain (ILR). For most legal migrants the wait would be a decade, and for some as long as 15 years. We could not confirm the details of the announcement itself in a second source.

Background to the change

The government set out the plan to extend the route to settlement from five to ten years earlier. In the Commons debate on 20 November 2025, Mahmood said the move from five to ten years was not up for consultation, and that the other elements of the reform were. In her speech on 5 March 2026 she repeated that the qualifying period should, as a norm, rise from 5 to 10 years, and that the privilege of living in the country permanently should be earned, not automatic.

As Polish Express reports, the final decision follows a public consultation in which more than 200,000 people took part. The rules could apply retrospectively, meaning they could cover people already living and working in the UK.

Possible shorter wait and criticism

Mahmood proposed that the wait could be shorter for migrants who contribute to their local community (under a points system) or who earn higher incomes.

The plans prompted opposition within the Labour Party too. MPs warn of staff shortages in health and social care. According to the source, for people already working in the care sector the wait could stretch to as much as 15 years. MPs, migrant organisations, racial equality campaigners and health service representatives have compared the proposals to the Windrush scandal.

The think tank IPPR points to the benefits of skilled migration. Its analysis suggests that, under current settlement rules, skilled workers could boost public finances by £115 billion. IPPR welcomed signals that care workers might stay on the current five-year route. It also suggested a compromise for other people already in the UK, for example staying on the five-year route or a "temporary status". Marley Morris of IPPR said ministers should honour the terms on which people came to the UK, or offer a fair compromise.

What this means for you

The final rules and exactly who they will cover are not yet known. If they apply retrospectively, they could also affect people who already live in the UK and are waiting for ILR. It is worth following Home Office announcements and checking the basis on which you are living in the UK. The source used does not separately discuss the position of EU citizens with settled status.