UK Confirms Earned Settlement: Most Migrants to Wait 10 Years, Care Workers Keep Transitional Route
UK Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood set out the government's final approach to earned settlement in the House of Commons on November 2: for most migrants, the qualifying period for indefinite leave to remain rises from five years to ten, graded by earnings, occupation, integration and record.
The framework follows a 12-week consultation that drew more than 200,000 responses. Care workers and public-sector workers who were in the UK before the May 2025 Immigration White Paper receive targeted transitional arrangements, and a proposed 15-year wait for lower-paid migrants has been dropped in favour of the 10-year standard, with shorter routes for higher earners and for health and education staff.
The government says detailed Immigration Rules changes and commencement dates will follow, and the current five-year rules apply until then. The Home Office estimates more than 500,000 people will wait longer, in the biggest settlement overhaul in decades, covering Chinese migrants and students in the UK as well.
(Source: UK Home Office)
Source: UK Home Office
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
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