LONDON — The U.K. government finalized its 'earned settlement' immigration reform on November 2, 2026, establishing a tiered system for indefinite leave to remain that links settlement rights to individual contribution rather than automatic accrual after fixed time periods. Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood announced the final rules in a statement to the House of Commons, responding to over 202,000 responses in a public consultation and pressure from both Labour Party factions and health unions.
Under the new policy, social care workers who arrived in the U.K. before May 2025 and earned at least £25,000 annually while meeting their visa conditions will retain a five-year route to indefinite leave to remain. Those who breached visa conditions will be offered a 'second chance' through a fresh five-year care visa not tied to their previous employer, a group representing around a quarter of those who entered the care route between 2022 and 2025. The government said it had stripped approximately 1,400 to 1,800 exploitative employers of their licenses.
The reforms establish a five-year settlement path for high earners with salaries exceeding £50,000 and for professionals in health and education, including doctors, nurses, and teachers. Those earning over £125,000 annually — described by the Home Secretary as the highest-rate taxpayers who contribute £1.5 million over their lifetime to critical services — can apply after just three years. The standard qualifying period for most other migrants increases from five to 10 years.
Refugee pathways are differentiated: those arriving via new safe and legal routes qualify for settlement after five years, the same as higher earners. However, refugees who entered the U.K. illegally face a 20-year qualifying period, rising to 30 years for those who have not entered work or study. Refugees who enter employment or education can reduce their qualifying period by 10 years, potentially settling at the 10-year mark.
Transitional arrangements apply only to those who joined relevant routes before the Immigration White Paper in May 2025. After that point, the ten-year path to settlement was widely understood to apply. The government estimates the reforms will reduce the benefits bill by billions of pounds by ensuring those most likely to impose costs at settlement must first meet visa conditions.
Before finalization, the policy had proposed extending the default qualifying period from five to 15 years. The final version, shaped by extensive consultation, instead creates a 10-year standard path with targeted exceptions for contributors. As Mahmood stated, 'Settlement should not be automatic. It should be earned.' The reforms will be implemented over the course of 2027, with detailed impact assessments and guidance to follow.
