UK Extends Settlement Path to 10 Years: New 'Earned Migration' System Transforms Immigration Policy

The United Kingdom government has introduced a proposal in Parliament to double the waiting period for international migrants seeking indefinite leave to remain (ILR) as part of a new "earned settlement" model.

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood addressed the House of Commons, emphasizing that settlement in the UK is "a privilege, not a right." The current five-year route to ILR will be extended to 10 years for most applicants.

Under the new framework, low-paid workers will face a 15-year waiting period for ILR, while migrants receiving taxpayer-funded benefits could wait up to 20 years to secure settled status.

In contrast, skilled professionals working in frontline sectors like the National Health Service (NHS) and high-earning entrepreneurs will be eligible for a fast-track route to settled status after five years or less.

"I am replacing a broken immigration system with one that prioritises contribution, integration and respect for the British sense of fair play," Mahmood stated.

Describing herself as coming from a family of "proud Kashmiris" who migrated to the UK in the 1960s and 1970s, Mahmood explained that these changes aim to create a "fairer pathway" to settlement in a country where migration has been "not just unprecedented but also destabilising."

"Between 2021 and 2024, we have seen net migration of an additional 2.6 million people. Around one in every 30 people in this country today arrived in these four years. This extraordinary open border experiment was the legacy of the last Conservative government," the minister noted.

The new rules will apply to over 2 million migrants who arrived in the UK from 2021, during what has been termed the "Boriswave" after former prime minister Boris Johnson.

A consultation period running until February 2026 has been initiated by the Home Office to finalize transitional arrangements for borderline cases.

The changes target approximately 1.6 million people who would qualify for ILR between 2026 and 2030, with 450,000 expected to be affected in 2028 alone. The consultation will also determine if taxpayer-funded benefits should be reserved for British citizens only.

Low-paid workers, including 616,000 people and their dependents who came on the discontinued Health and Social Care visas between 2022 and 2024, will be subject to a 15-year baseline waiting period for ILR.

The Home Office plans to introduce penalties for those exploiting the system, with illegal migrants and visa overstayers facing up to 30 years before settlement.

NHS doctors and nurses will maintain the five-year settlement path, while "the brightest and best of international talent" could have their settlement fast-tracked, with some high earners and entrepreneurs eligible after just three years.

While specific regulations will be established following the Home Office consultation early next year, anyone who has not yet been granted settlement status in the UK will be subject to a "contribution-based model" once the new rules take effect.

The proposals require migrants to maintain a clean criminal record to settle in the UK. Reduced timeframes will be available based on "integration" metrics, including high-level English proficiency and community volunteering.

"The successful story of migration in Britain has always depended on two things. Firstly, that each wave of migrants becomes a part of our wider cultural life. And secondly, that they pay back to the country that has given them a home. This does not mean assimilation," Mahmood explained.

"We have built a multi-faith, multi-ethnic democracy that is pluralistic, grounded in tolerance towards difference. But it does demand contribution and integration," she added.

This announcement follows her earlier parliamentary statement on tightening the UK's asylum system, which involves making refugee status temporary until a refugee's home country is deemed safe for return.