The UK government has announced its most significant shake-up of the immigration system in years, introducing rules that could force some legal migrants to wait up to two decades before they can settle permanently in the country.
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood unveiled the proposed new framework, which is set to be rolled out from the spring of 2026 following a public consultation. The central pillar of the reform is the decision to double the standard settlement period from five years to ten years.
A Two-Tier System: Winners and Losers
While the baseline waiting time has increased, the new system creates clear tiers of eligibility based on profession and income. The government has outlined specific reductions for certain groups.
NHS doctors, nurses, teachers, and other healthcare workers will be able to achieve settled status after the traditional five-year period. An even faster track exists for high earners in the top tax bracket and some entrepreneurs, who could become eligible in just three years.
However, the changes present a significant challenge for the approximately two million migrants who arrived in the UK in 2021 on low-skilled visas, a cohort often referred to as the ‘Boris wave’. These individuals will now need to have lived in the country for a minimum of ten years before they can even apply for indefinite leave to remain.
Stiff Penalties for Benefit Claims and Illegal Arrival
The government also announced a spate of new penalties designed to deter what it terms ‘exploitation’ of the system. For those ‘Boriswave’ arrivals, the situation becomes markedly more difficult if they have claimed benefits.
Migrants who have received benefits for more than twelve months will face an additional ten-year penalty. This means their total wait for settlement could extend to a staggering twenty years. For those who claimed benefits for a shorter period, the wait would be fifteen years.
The most severe measures are reserved for those who enter the country illegally. Under the proposal, illegal arrivals would face a 30-year wait to settle. Furthermore, the government plans to ensure that migrants can only apply for benefits and social housing after they have become British citizens, a significant shift from the current rules where those with settled status are eligible.
Protection for Existing Status Holders and a Focus on 'Fairness'
Amid the sweeping changes, the Home Secretary offered reassurance to some groups. She confirmed that people with existing settled status, including those under the EU Settlement scheme and the Windrush scheme, will be completely unaffected by the new rules.
‘We made a promise when we gave them settlement and we do not break our promises,’ Mahmood stated, emphasising that these individuals have families and have been contributing to British society for years.
The proposed rules are intended to apply to everyone in the UK today who has not yet received indefinite leave to remain, though the consultation will explore potential transitional arrangements. The overarching goal, according to the government, is to encourage the use of safe and legal routes into the country, with refugees on poor protection qualifying for settlement after 20 years.
This announcement follows recent government plans to overhaul the response to illegal immigration, signalling a continued hardline approach to migration policy.
