Mahmood confirms 10-year wait for permanent settlement in UK immigration overhaul

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has set out her final plans to overhaul immigration rules in the House of Commons, confirming sweeping changes to how migrants qualify for permanent settlement in the UK. The proposals were first outlined in detail in November 2025, when Mahmood was home secretary in Sir Keir Starmer's government, and the announcement follows a public consultation on the plans. Indefinite leave to remain, also known as settlement, gives a person the right to live, work and study in the UK for as long as they like. People who hold it can apply for benefits if they are eligible, and those who have lived in the UK for 12 months after being granted it can apply for British citizenship, provided they meet other requirements. Under the government's plans, the standard length of time migrants must live in the UK before qualifying for settlement will double from five years to 10. Applicants on this 10-year pathway must have earned at least £12,571 in five of the seven years immediately before being granted settlement. A shorter qualifying period of five years will apply to certain groups. These include people who earned at least £50,271 in three of the five years before applying, and care workers who earned at least £25,000 a year while meeting their visa conditions and arrived in the UK before May 2025. Skilled public service workers such as doctors, nurses and teachers will also qualify after five years, as will lower-skilled health and education workers, such as nursing auxiliaries and teaching assistants, who arrived before May 2025. Holders of British National (Overseas) status from Hong Kong are included in this group. A three-year route will apply to people earning more than £125,141 a year and to highly skilled migrants, such as those on Global Talent or Innovator Founder visas. At the other end of the scale, migrants who have claimed certain benefits or breached immigration rules will have to wait at least 20 years to settle. Applicants will also need to satisfy further conditions, including earning at least £12,571 a year for at least three years, a threshold aligned with the level at which income tax becomes payable. Refugees will face a separate set of 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 must either work or study, while those who do neither will wait 20 years. Refugees who arrived by small boat or another illegal route will face a 20-year wait if they work or study, rising to 30 years if they do not. The changes will apply to migrants who are already in the UK, but not to those who have already been granted settlement. A partner who arrives with someone who then applies for settlement can qualify at the same time if they meet the relevant requirements, while a partner who joins later must complete the same qualifying residence period. Eligible couples will be able to combine their earnings, with a household income threshold of £25,142, twice the individual minimum. Children under 18 will continue to be able to settle with their parents and will be exempt from the income, government debt, English language and Life in the UK test requirements, though they remain subject to suitability and criminality checks. Dependent young adults aged 18 to 24 will also be able to settle alongside their families, meeting all adult mandatory requirements except the individual income test, while anyone aged 25 or over when their family becomes eligible will be expected to qualify independently. Eligible partners, parents and children of British citizens will continue to qualify for settlement after five years.