Immigrants across the United Kingdom who are months away from qualifying for permanent residency face having years of established life and work wiped out by new Home Office rules.
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood announced the “earned settlement” policy, which extends the qualifying period from five years to ten years for most foreign nationals and closes the existing ten-year long-residence route.
Home Office Rules End Long Residence Route
The policy overhaul stems from a consultation launched in November 2025 and finalized on Nov. 2, 2026, when the government published its response. Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said, Until now it has been given almost automatically. From today, it must be earned.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham voiced support for the changes, stating that the public wants an immigration system based on control and contribution.
Data from the Home Office shows that about 500,000 people on track for permanent residency will be affected, with officials projecting billions in savings from the welfare bill.
Under the revised framework, time already spent under the long-residence route is reset to zero, meaning applicants must restart the clock on a brand-new ten-year period.
An exception was made for qualifying care workers who were in the U.K. before May 2025 and earn at least £25,000 a year, granting them a five-year settlement route. For others, the faster five-year route is closed to people whose partner earns less than £50,000 a year.
Opposition overwhelms consultation feedback
Public opposition to the proposals was substantial during the consultation period. According to government figures, 84% of individuals and 79% of organizations disagreed with the changes, a sentiment shared by 77% of British citizens. The House of Commons Home Affairs Committee recommended that the U.K. government introduce transitional arrangements for people already in the U.K.
One affected resident said: If the Earned Settlement proposals go ahead as they are, all the time we’ve spent here is reset to zero. Most of us will have to restart the clock on a brand new 10-year route, meaning it will take us a total of 17 to 20 years in the U.K. just to qualify for settlement. It is absolutely unfair.
Aneisha Williams, a 39-year-old supermarket worker from London who arrived from Jamaica in 2016, told The Guardian that the policy made her feel like she was tossed away like rubbish after helping during COVID-19, adding, I was due to qualify in a couple of months – now it could be another 10 years.
Did You Know? In 2025, 15,260 long-term residents were granted permanent residency, accounting for about one in ten of all permanent residency grants issued by the Home Office that year.
Personal Toll on Settled Immigrants
Individual applicants described the emotional and financial toll of the abrupt policy shift. One long-term resident, who spent his formative years in Scotland before moving back to the U.S., noted that the long-residence route stands out because time already spent can be erased.
Sam, an American who came from Indiana in 2018 to pursue law and lives with his partner, who moved from Turkey, faces a similar delay. Dependent on his partner’s work visa, Sam stated that because his partner earns less than £50,000 a year, the faster five-year route is closed to them.
I could be on £200,000 a year. I could be the CEO of a major company, but my salary, my job doesn’t matter; it’s only hers,
he said. Similarly, Eva, a 27-year-old researcher who moved from Russia at age 17, said that she had not been able to sleep properly since the finalized rules were announced.
Affected applicants face new 10-year routes
While family members of British citizens, Hong Kong British Nationals (Overseas), and members of the armed forces retain their current pathways, applicants on closed routes must decide whether to transition to new visa categories that would allow them to settle after 10 years.
Care workers gain special settlement terms
Who is affected by the earned settlement changes?
An estimated 500,000 people on track for permanent residency in the U.K. are affected by the changes. This includes individuals on the long-residence route whose previously accrued time will no longer count toward indefinite leave to remain.
What exceptions have been made for specific workers?
Under pressure from Labour MPs and unions, Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood granted concessions allowing qualifying care workers who were in the U.K. before May 2025 and earn at least £25,000 a year to settle after five years.
Who is excluded from the faster five-year settlement route?
The faster five-year route is closed to people whose partner earns less than £50,000 a year.
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