LONDON (The Thursday Times) — Britain has doubled the time most foreign workers must wait for permanent residency to 10 years, Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood told Parliament on Monday, and refugees who arrive on small boats could now wait as long as 30 years.
“Settlement should not be automatic. It should be earned,” Mahmood said. “Those who contribute most will settle fastest. Those who don’t play by the rules will be refused or wait longer.” The rules, which take effect next year, tie the right to settle to income.
Who waits how long
People earning more than £50,000 a year can still apply for indefinite leave to remain after five years, and those earning more than £125,000 after three. Everyone else goes on the 10-year path. The median UK salary is about £39,000.
Care workers got a concession after an outcry within the governing Labour Party. They can settle after five years if they have met their visa conditions and earn at least £25,000 a year. Mahmood said this offered a path for those “who worked hard and answered our call when we needed them”.
Refugees who arrive through new safe and legal routes can settle after five years. The standard wait for other refugees becomes 20 years, with 10 more for those who entered by an illegal route such as a small boat.
Applicants will also be disqualified if they have a criminal record, cannot speak English to a high standard, owe money to the government, or have not made at least three years of national insurance contributions.
What it means
Indefinite leave to remain carries the right to work, study, use the National Health Service and claim benefits, and until now has come after five years. The change will affect workers from many countries, including Pakistan.
Mahmood said half a million people would settle later than they otherwise would have, saving billions of pounds in benefits. The government estimates that as many as 1.4 million people will receive settled status between 2026 and 2030.
The changes follow a 12-week consultation with more than 200,000 responses, and come under pressure from Nigel Farage’s Reform UK. Prime Minister Andy Burnham’s government says cooperation with France has cut small-boat crossings by more than 40 percent this year.
