UK Doubles Residency Wait to 10 Years for Most Migrants, Exempts £25,000 Care Workers
Updated
Updated · Al Jazeera English · Nov 3
UK Doubles Residency Wait to 10 Years for Most Migrants, Exempts £25,000 Care Workers
3 articles · Updated · Al Jazeera English · Nov 3
Summary
10-year settlement waits will apply to most foreign workers from next year, replacing the current five-year route to indefinite leave to remain and applying retroactively to many already in Britain.
£50,000 earners can still apply after five years and £125,000 earners after three, while care workers keep a five-year path if they meet visa rules and earn at least £25,000.
Refugees arriving through official routes will qualify after five years, but others face 20 years, cut to 10 if they work or study; small-boat arrivals could wait up to 30 years.
Shabana Mahmood said the overhaul would delay settlement for 500,000 people and save billions in benefits by tying residency to income, English ability, clean records and national insurance contributions.
The changes follow post-Brexit migration pressures and rising political demands for tougher controls, even as the government says Channel crossings are down more than 40% from 2025.