Published on •Updated
The British government on Monday set out its new “earned settlement model,” which will double the amount of time many foreign workers must wait before they are eligible to settle permanently in the United Kingdom.
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Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood confirmed that the qualifying period for “indefinite leave to remain” (ILR) in the UK would jump from five years to 10 years for most workers. ILR gives a person the right to live, work and study in the country for as long as they wish.
High earners will be able to settle “within” three years, while those earning more than £50,271 (around €60,200), as well as some public service workers – including doctors, nurses and teachers – will be able to settle after five years, according to the Labour government.
Mahmood also announced exemptions for care workers following backlash from unions and some figures within the ruling Labour Party to initial proposals to tighten settlement rules.
“Those who earn £25,000 (roughly €29,900) a year working in the social sector care, which was the condition of their visa, will therefore be able to settle on their existing five-year pathway,” Mahmood told parliament.
She said the revised policy recognised the service of those who had “worked hard and answered our call when we needed them.”
The announcement followed a consultation period that saw the government receive more than 200,000 responses. It said the process had seen people raised concerns about “fairness, complexity and the effect on people already in the UK” but that there was also “support for a system that better recognises contribution, integration and compliance.”
The government said its guiding principle moving forward was that “settlement should be earned rather than granted on the basis of time alone.”
Under the new policy, people found to have breached immigration rules will have to wait 20 years to settle.
“Anyone who arrived by small boat, or another clandestine means of entry, will face an additional 10-year waiting period – meaning they could wait up to 30 years for settlement,” the government said.
Refugees who arrive on approved routes will be able to apply for settlement after five years.
The new rules are reportedly due to come into effect next year. People who already have settled status will not be impacted.
In a statement, British Prime Minister Andy Burnham said the country had “lost control of immigration” following the divisive Brexit vote to leave the European Union.
“This Home Secretary is gripping this problem, and she has my full support in doing so,” he added.
It comes amid increasing pressure from Britain’s right, including from Nigel Farage’s Reform UK party, over immigration.
Reform has pledged to scrap indefinite leave to remain should it get into power, instead bringing in a “five-year renewable work visa.”
