In Detail, In Brief: Earned Settlement
This week, the Home Secretary has set out the Government’s plans to reform the system for permanent settlement in the UK.
Under the current rules, the right to settle is close to automatic and sees no reward for those who make the biggest contributions to our national life whether through public service, contributions to the Exchequer and for those who make sustained effort to integrate into society. Nor is there a significant detriment to having arrived in the country illegally or being unable to support oneself while in the UK.
Under the new system, anyone seeking settlement, regardless of when they arrived in the country, will first need to meet four conditions: a clean criminal record, a high standard of English, no debt to the taxpayer and sustained National Insurance contributions.
The baseline waiting period for settlement will also move to 10 years, instead of five, with reductions available for those working in specified public service occupations, those on higher incomes and for those with a strong connection to the UK such as through a British partner, parent or child. Applicants will also need to show that they have not made use of public funds in the five years immediately before they apply for settlement, demonstrating a sustained contribution.
Refugees arriving through safe and legal routes will receive a quicker path to settlement than those who arrive in the UK on another type of visa and then subsequently claim asylum, while those who arrive illegally, including on a small boat, will face the longest wait, with an additional 10 years added before people in that group can apply to settle permanently. This reflects our desire as a country to do our part to help refugees to rebuild their lives in safety whilst also disincentivising dangerous boat crossings by removing the promise of quick access to permanent status.
Following the Government’s consultation, the contributions of care workers who came to the UK in the aftermath of the Covid pandemic amid a crisis in our care system will be recognised with a 5 year pathway to settlement.
The Government is also recognising that social care visas issued by the previous Conservative government were often open to serious abuse meaning that many on those routes were unable to take up the work they were promised and thereby fulfil the conditions of their visa. Individuals in that position who arrived in the UK before May 2025 will have a second chance through a further five-year visa, restricted to genuine work in the care sector, before applying to settle.
The Home Secretary’s reforms reflect our British values that if you play by the rules and make a contribution you should expect to get out what you put in, while exploiting loopholes and gaming the system should carry a cost. This system recognises the huge value that people that come to our country bring whilst also addressing the parts of the system that feel fundamentally unfair to people in Bristol South.
The Government's response to the consultation on the Earned Settlement model can be found here.
