Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has set out the government's final plans to change the requirements for permanent settlement in the UK. The proposals follow a consultation and will apply to migrants already in the country who have not yet been granted settlement.
Indefinite leave to remain, also known as settlement, allows a person to live, work and study in the UK without a time limit. People with this status may also apply for benefits if eligible, and can apply for British citizenship after living in the UK for 12 months, provided they meet the other requirements.
Under the proposed system, the standard qualifying period will increase from five years to 10. Applicants on this pathway will need to have earned at least £12,571 in five of the seven years immediately before being granted settlement.
Some groups will remain eligible for settlement after five years. They include people who earned at least £50,271 in three of the previous five years, care workers earning at least £25,000 annually who meet their visa conditions and arrived before May 2025, and skilled public service workers such as doctors, nurses and teachers.
The five-year route will also cover certain lower-skilled health and education workers, including nursing auxiliaries and teaching assistants, if they arrived before May 2025. People from Hong Kong with British National (Overseas) status will also qualify under this shorter period.
Migrants earning more than £125,141 a year and highly skilled workers using Global Talent or Innovator Founder visas will be eligible after three years. By contrast, migrants who have claimed certain benefits or breached immigration rules may have to wait at least 20 years before qualifying.
Applicants will also need to meet additional conditions. These include having no criminal record, demonstrating a high standard of English, owing no debt to the taxpayer and showing a record of sustained National Insurance Contributions.
Refugees will be subject to separate rules. Those who arrived through an official government scheme will qualify for settlement after five years. Other refugees will need to wait 10 years and work or study, while those who do neither will face a 20-year wait.
Refugees who arrived by small boat or another illegal route will have to wait 20 years if they work or study, and 30 years if they do not. The changes will not affect people who have already been granted settlement.
Sources: BBC News UK.