On 2 November 2026 the Home Secretary confirmed the biggest change to settlement in a generation: for most people, indefinite leave to remain (ILR) will take ten years instead of five. The new Rules are not in force yet. Here is what was decided, who gets a faster route, and what to do now.
What was announced
The government published A Fairer Pathway to Settlement: Government response to the consultation (CP 1707), its answer to the earned settlement consultation that closed on 12 February 2026 and drew 204,667 responses. It confirms the “earned settlement” model first set out in the May 2025 Immigration White Paper: the baseline qualifying period rises from five to ten years, and that time can be shortened by what the government calls a sustained contribution — mainly earnings, and work in key public services.
Two of the harshest proposals were dropped. There will be no 15-year default for workers in jobs below degree level (RQF 6), and C1 English will not buy a shorter route: B2 is the single standard. Volunteering will not shorten the period either.
The new qualifying periods
| Qualifying period | Who | Conditions |
|---|---|---|
| 3 years | Very high earners and the highest-talent group | Earnings of at least £125,141 a year in three of the four years before applying, or entry through a highest-talent arrangement (still being designed with the Migration Advisory Committee). |
| 5 years | Higher earners, key public service workers, people with a British connection | Earnings of at least £50,271 in three of the five years before applying; or an eligible health or education job on a national pay scale (doctors, registered nurses, teachers, social workers and similar); or refugees who arrived through a safe and legal route. |
| 10 years | Everyone else, including most Skilled Workers earning under £50,271 | Earnings of at least £12,571 a year in five of the previous seven years. Couples can combine earnings to reach £25,142. |
| 20 years | People with specified immigration breaches or recent public funds use | Overstaying, breaching visa conditions or deception as an adult; or claiming specified public funds in the five years before applying. |
Figures are from the government response of 2 November 2026 and the Home Secretary’s statement to Parliament. The exact wording will be fixed when the Immigration Rules are laid.
Mandatory requirements for everyone
- English at B2 (A-level equivalent). For Skilled Worker and Scale-up settlement this is already in the Rules and applies from 26 March 2027.
- Life in the UK test, with the usual age and disability exemptions.
- No criminal record. An adult criminal record, including suspended sentences, means refusal. Offending as a child is considered separately.
- No outstanding government debt — NHS, tax, National Insurance or Home Office litigation debt must be cleared.
- No reliance on public funds. Claiming specified benefits pushes you to the 20-year route unless you then complete five continuous years without them.
- Sustained contribution — the earnings test in the table above. Children under 18 settle with their parents and are exempt from the income, debt, English and Life in the UK requirements.
Who keeps the five-year route
The government rejected a blanket saving for everyone already in the UK. Instead there is targeted protection:
- Care workers (SOC codes 6135 and 6136) who entered or switched into the route before 12 May 2025 and met their visa conditions, including pay of at least £25,000 a year in the sector, keep a one-off five-year route. Those who did not meet the conditions — about a quarter of the 2022–2025 cohort, according to the government — can apply for a further five-year Health and Care visa that is not tied to their previous employer.
- Below-degree-level health and education workers, such as nursing auxiliaries and teaching assistants, who arrived before the May 2025 White Paper get a similar one-off five-year route.
- Hong Kong BN(O) visa holders keep five years. Afghan relocation schemes, certain armed forces personnel, bereaved partners and victims of domestic abuse keep their existing arrangements. The EU Settlement Scheme sits outside the system.
- Other Skilled Workers in below-RQF 6 jobs: the response says the pre-April 2024 salary arrangements for these workers may be extended to 2035 so they can keep extending while they work towards the ten-year point. That does not preserve a five-year ILR route.
Skilled Workers earning £50,271 or more, or in an eligible public service occupation, still qualify after five years — not through transitional protection, but because the new framework gives them a five-year route anyway.
Nothing has changed yet
Today the Immigration Rules still give Skilled Workers a five-year route to ILR. The Home Secretary said the changes will begin to be laid from the December 2026 Statement of Changes and be implemented over the course of 2027, after technical guidance and a full impact assessment. If you reach five years’ continuous residence before the new Rules take effect, apply under the current Rules. We will email subscribers when the Statement of Changes is published — the sign-up box is at the bottom of this page.
Dependants
A partner who arrived with the main applicant can settle at the same time if they meet the requirements; a partner who joined later normally needs their own qualifying period. Children under 18 settle with their parents. Young adults aged 18 to 24 who came as child dependants can settle with the family without their own earnings, although the adult suitability requirements apply; from 25 they generally need their own basis to settle. How partners of three-year principals will be treated is not yet settled.
The long residence route closes
The separate ten-year long residence route will close when the framework is implemented, and time on expressly temporary routes such as Student, Graduate and Youth Mobility will not count towards the new ten-year period.
What to do now
If you are already on a Skilled Worker visa
- Work out the date you reach five years’ continuous residence. If it falls before the new Rules apply, prepare your ILR application now: absences, payslips, English certificate and the Life in the UK test.
- Check your salary against £50,271. If a pay rise or a move to a better-paid sponsor takes you over it for three of the five years before you apply, you stay on a five-year route under the new framework. The going rate for your SOC code tells you how realistic that is.
- Keep evidence of every year’s earnings. The ten-year route is tested over five of the previous seven years.
- Avoid any breach, however small. Overstaying or breaching a visa condition as an adult ordinarily moves you to the 20-year route.
If you are planning to apply from abroad
- Budget for a longer period on visas before settlement. Each extension costs the application fee plus the Immigration Health Surcharge — use the visa cost calculator to see the totals.
- Choose the occupation code carefully. A code whose going rate sits above £50,271 puts you on the five-year route from day one.
- Confirm the employer holds a licence on the sponsor list before paying anyone for a job offer.
If you are an employer
- Expect questions from sponsored staff about pay and timing; a salary review may be the difference between a five- and a ten-year route for them.
- Care providers: identify staff who came before 12 May 2025 and whether they met the £25,000 condition, as the transitional route depends on it.
- Watch the December 2026 Statement of Changes for the final wording and commencement dates.
Dates to watch
- December 2026 — Statement of Changes expected to start laying the earned settlement Rules.
- 31 December 2026 — the interim Temporary Shortage List and Immigration Salary List access for below-degree-level jobs ends; the Migration Advisory Committee recommended a new list of 28 occupations and the government’s response is awaited.
- 26 March 2027 — B2 English required for Skilled Worker and Scale-up settlement applications.
- During 2027 — earned settlement implemented, with guidance and an impact assessment first.
