In brief
The Home Secretary announced that most foreign nationals will now need 10 years to qualify for permanent residency, with income thresholds determining shorter timelines. Care workers and refugees on safe legal routes are exempted, while those arriving by small boats face the longest wait. The new rules are aimed at linking settlement to economic contribution and reduce benefit costs.
On Monday, Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood announced that the United Kingdom will extend the time most foreign workers must wait before qualifying for permanent residency from five to ten years, with income thresholds that can shorten the wait for those earning more. The policy will also place refugees who arrive by “small boats” on a waiting period that could reach thirty years, while those who arrive through legal, safe routes can settle after five years.
The change will apply retroactively to workers already in the country and is slated to take effect next year. Only those who earn more than £50,000 a year will still be able to ask for settlement after five years, and those earning more than £125,000 after only three years. All other applicants will now wait ten years. The median UK wage is roughly £39,000, according to government figures.
Mahmood explained in Parliament that “settlement should not be automatic. It should be earned.” She added that the new rules would “restore fairness by linking the right to settle to what immigrants contribute.”
She also said, “Those who contribute most will settle fastest. Those who don’t play by the rules will be refused or wait longer.” The Home Secretary’s remarks were made as part of a broader effort to control immigration costs and reduce the use of state benefits by non‑settled workers.
One of the key pillars of the package is the exemption granted to care workers, many of whom were recruited in the early 2020s to fill shortages left by the departure of EU staff after Brexit. Under the revised plan, care workers who have fulfilled the conditions of their visas and earn at least £25,000 a year will qualify for permanent residency after five years. Avoiding the extended wait for care workers was a concession amid political backlash within the governing Labour Party and opposition from unions that criticised the original proposal for lower‑skilled staff.
Earlier this year, the government had proposed that lower‑skilled workers wait between ten and fifteen years for permanent residency, a plan that faced fierce opposition. As reported by the BBC and other outlets, Shabana Mahmood scrapped that 15‑year wait for migrant care workers already in the UK, replacing it with the five‑year exemption for those who meet the new earnings criterion.
In the refugee domain, those who come through what the government calls “new safe and legal routes” will also be able to settle after five years. However, refugees who arrive through small, unregulated boat crossings along the English Channel and Irish Sea could face a wait of up to thirty years. The rule emphasises that the length of the waiting period is designed to match the perceived economic contribution of migrants, linking residency rights to earned income.
Critics argue that the policy disadvantages the most vulnerable migrants and may exacerbate low‑pay jobs for care workers. Labour MPs who are part of the care sector unions have called for a review of the scheme, pointing out that many care workers earn well below the £25,000 threshold yet are indispensable to the National Health Service and social care system. They also claim that the policy could hinder the UK’s ability to attract and keep skilled care staff.
Proponents of the new regime say that it will simplify the immigration system and reduce the share of public spending on migrants who are not economic contributors. They point out that tying residency to income ensures that only those who earn a living wage can move quickly toward permanent status, thereby limiting the potential financial strain on public welfare programmes.
Both the immigration changes and the back‑pedal on the previously proposed 15‑year wait for care workers have drawn declarations from the Home Office that the intention is to maintain a fair balance between the country's economic needs and offering a humane settlement pathway for those who have supported the nation’s labour market.
As the government prepares to roll out the new rules next year, the number of people who will need to stay in the UK for an additional five years before qualifying for permanent residency will rise by a large margin. The law will affect hundreds of thousands of foreign nationals, including low‑skilled workers, care workers complying with the wage threshold, and refugees entering through narrow, dangerous passages. Its immediate impact will be on individuals’ work rights, pension entitlements, and eligibility for social benefits, with longer‑term implications for community integration and the sustainability of public services.
