UK overhauls settlement rules: waiting times to depend on earnings and occupation

The Home Office announced on 2 November 2026 that a new "earned settlement" model has been set out before Parliament. According to the announcement, the right to settle in the UK will no longer be granted almost automatically after 5 years. How long someone waits will depend on their contribution and character.

How long will people wait

The government gives the following routes:

• 3 years – for the highest earners.
• 5 years – for people earning more than £50,271 and some public service workers, such as doctors, nurses and teachers.
• 10 years – a new default for everyone else.
• at least 20 years – for people who have breached immigration rules.

Four conditions for everyone

Anyone applying for settlement, regardless of when they arrived, will have to meet four conditions:

• a clean criminal record (currently the threshold is a suspended sentence of up to 12 months; the requirement is to be tightened),
• English spoken to a high standard (equivalent to A-Level English as a foreign language),
• no debt owed to the taxpayer,
• a record of sustained National Insurance contributions.

Care workers and other groups

The rules largely follow the consultation of November 2025. What is new is a separate approach for care workers. Those who met their visa conditions and earned at least £25,000 a year will be able to apply for settlement after 5 years. The government notes that this route was abused, and says 1,800 exploitative employers have been stripped of the right to sponsor foreign workers.

People who do not qualify for the 5-year route (about a quarter of the total, according to the government) will be offered a new 5-year visa. They will be able to apply for settlement only once it is completed. A similar approach will apply to healthcare and education public service workers who arrived in the same period.

The government estimates that more than 500,000 people will wait longer than 5 years to settle. It says no one will be forced to leave.

Refugees and people who already hold status

Refugees arriving on routes approved by the Home Office will be able to settle after 5 years. Others will settle after 20 years, reduced to 10 for those who work or study. People who arrived by small boat or another clandestine means will face an additional 10-year wait, meaning up to 30 years in total.

The government says settled status will never be removed from anyone who already holds it. Family members of British citizens, Hong Kong British Nationals (Overseas) and members of the armed forces will keep their current pathways.

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said: "From today, it must be earned."

What this means for you

The announcement does not separately address EU citizens or people covered by the EU Settlement Scheme, so it is unclear from it how the changes affect them. People on work visas or planning to apply for settlement should check the details of the new rules, especially the earnings thresholds, the English requirement and their National Insurance record. The rules are to apply at the point of application, including to people who arrived earlier.