LONDON — The British government announced Monday it will extend the waiting period for most immigrants to gain permanent residency from five to ten years, a policy shift framed by Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood as restoring fairness by linking settlement rights to immigrant contribution. The changes, to be introduced during 2027, soften previous proposals that would have required lower-paid workers to wait 15 years.
Immigrants on work visas will face a decade-long wait for permanent residency, which carries rights to work, study, access free healthcare and claim benefits. However, a higher income can speed up the process: those earning at least 50,000 pounds annually will wait five years, as will public-sector workers including doctors, nurses and teachers. Immigrants earning above 125,000 pounds a year can apply for settlement after three years.
Care workers continue to be eligible for settlement after five years, provided they earn at least 25,000 pounds annually. The median UK salary is about 39,000 pounds a year.
Mahmood, whose own parents came to the UK from Pakistan half a century ago, told lawmakers the system should live up to the ideal of fair play. "It is my responsibility to ensure our migration system lives up to that ideal," she said.
The policy represents a softening of proposals Mahmood made last year that drew opposition from within the Labour Party. The government cited stepped-up law enforcement cooperation with France, which has helped reduce the number of people making small boat crossings by more than 40% compared with the previous year.
Refugees who have not come by a safe and legal route will face extended waiting periods: up to 20 years generally, or 30 years if they arrived by small boat. Still, small-boat arrivals make up a fraction of total immigration, with most people entering the UK legally on visas.
Immigration has remained a divisive political issue in Britain for decades and was a major factor in the 2016 vote to leave the European Union. The arrival of tens of thousands of asylum seekers across the English Channel each year has kept the subject high on the political agenda. Critics, including Conservative and Liberal Democrat lawmakers, argue the changes prioritize tough rhetoric over effective systems. Conservative immigration spokesman Chris Philp said the policy would cost 10 billion pounds because more people will be able to receive benefits than under the initial proposal.
