UK to Double Wait for Most Migrants to Gain Settled Status as Major Immigration Reforms Announced
Foreign workers will generally need ten years to qualify for settlement, with doctors and high-earners exempted
The United Kingdom government has unveiled sweeping changes to its immigration system, announcing that most foreign workers will face a ten-year qualifying period for settled status, up from the current five-year threshold.
Key exemptions apply to doctors and nurses working for the National Health Service and to high-earning individuals or entrepreneurs, who could qualify in as little as three years.
In a statement on Thursday, ministers outlined that those who rely on benefits or arrive illegally will encounter far longer waits—twenty years for benefit-claimant migrants and up to thirty years for those entering without permission.
The reforms form part of a white-paper package described by the government as the “biggest shake-up of the legal migration system in nearly half a century.”
Officials noted that without intervention some 1.6 million people were on track to seek settled status between 2026 and 2030, and the new pathway aims to reduce long-term migration pressure in response to net immigration levels that peaked at 944,000 in the year ending March 2023.
While the five-year route to settlement will continue for the NHS medical workforce—where more than two-thirds of doctors and almost half of nurses are internationally trained—industry bodies warn that extending the generally applicable period may put up to 50,000 migrant nurses at risk of leaving.
Employers and employers’ groups in sectors reliant on foreign labour caution the reform could exacerbate staffing shortages and hamper growth in health, social care and critical infrastructure.
The government defended the reform as a necessary move to ensure that settlement is earned, not automatic, and to maintain public confidence in immigration control.
Some opposition voices and migrant organisations expressed concern about fairness, especially over whether the changes will apply retroactively to workers already in the country.
With transitional details yet to be finalised and a public consultation expected, the overhaul signals a decisive shift toward a more conditional immigration framework.
The full legislative effect will depend on subsequent regulations, but the announcement marks a clear turning point in British migration policy.
Key exemptions apply to doctors and nurses working for the National Health Service and to high-earning individuals or entrepreneurs, who could qualify in as little as three years.
In a statement on Thursday, ministers outlined that those who rely on benefits or arrive illegally will encounter far longer waits—twenty years for benefit-claimant migrants and up to thirty years for those entering without permission.
The reforms form part of a white-paper package described by the government as the “biggest shake-up of the legal migration system in nearly half a century.”
Officials noted that without intervention some 1.6 million people were on track to seek settled status between 2026 and 2030, and the new pathway aims to reduce long-term migration pressure in response to net immigration levels that peaked at 944,000 in the year ending March 2023.
While the five-year route to settlement will continue for the NHS medical workforce—where more than two-thirds of doctors and almost half of nurses are internationally trained—industry bodies warn that extending the generally applicable period may put up to 50,000 migrant nurses at risk of leaving.
Employers and employers’ groups in sectors reliant on foreign labour caution the reform could exacerbate staffing shortages and hamper growth in health, social care and critical infrastructure.
The government defended the reform as a necessary move to ensure that settlement is earned, not automatic, and to maintain public confidence in immigration control.
Some opposition voices and migrant organisations expressed concern about fairness, especially over whether the changes will apply retroactively to workers already in the country.
With transitional details yet to be finalised and a public consultation expected, the overhaul signals a decisive shift toward a more conditional immigration framework.
The full legislative effect will depend on subsequent regulations, but the announcement marks a clear turning point in British migration policy.
