In brief
The UK has announced that the period most foreign workers will must wait before being eligible for permanent residency will be doubled to ten years. Care workers and refugees entering via official routes will receive exemptions, but those arriving by small boats could face wait times of up to thirty years. The changes, tied to income levels, are set to take effect next year and aim to link settlement rights to economic contribution.
The United Kingdom announced it will double the waiting period for most foreign workers to qualify for permanent residency, extending the requirement from five to ten years. Speaking in Parliament on Monday, Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said the new rules would tie eligibility to income, guaranteeing settlement for those earning more than £50,000 a year after five years and those earning over £125,000 after three years, while everyone else would face a ten‑year path.
Care workers, who have faced a previous proposal to wait up to fifteen years, will be exempt from the long delay. They can settle after five years if they continue to meet visa conditions and earn at least £25,000 a year. The Home Secretary confirmed that the government had scrapped the earlier 15‑year wait for migrant care workers already in the UK, a move reported by the BBC.
Refugees who arrive via the government’s “new safe and legal routes” also receive a five‑year exemption. Conversely, refugees entering the country by small boats could face wait times as long as thirty years, a figure stated in Al Jazeera’s report. This part of the policy remains unverified by other independent sources.
Mahmood told Parliament that “settlement should not be automatic. It should be earned,” adding that the changes would “restore fairness by linking the right to settle to what immigrants contribute. Those who contribute most will settle fastest. Those who don’t play by the rules will be refused or wait longer.”
