BREAKING New immigration requirements for people who want to settle in UK, ie stay here indefinitely, unveiled by
@ShabanaMahmood. They are complex - and far tougher than current rules. But there are carve-outs, for most existing care workers, teachers, doctors & high-earners. Here are the key details:
MIGRATION - SETTLEMENT RULES - KEY POINTS
* Starting point to settle in UK, ie to be able to live, work or study indefinitely, will move from 5 to 10 years, under Earned Settlement model - with some exceptions
* Adults with a criminal record, including cautions, will be refused settlement. At present a 12-month prison sentence/suspended prison term is the bar.
* Anyone who owes the government money, eg in unpaid tax, will be refused.
* People who have accessed “public funds” in last 5 years will be refused.
* English as a foreign language requirement will be raised from GCSE-standard to A Level-standard
* Life in the UK test will be changed to reflect “life in modern Britain”.
* Applicants able to work must earn at least £12,571 for at least 3 years to settle
* Couples wishing to settle must earn £25,142 in total
* Asylum seekers who arrived in UK legally, were granted protection & went onto work or study may settle after 10 years
* Care workers who arrived in UK after May 2025: 10 years
LONGER SETTLEMENT PERIOD
* Settlement will take 20 years for those who’ve breached immigration rules and for refugees who don’t do “sustained” work, education or training
* Those entering UK illegally, eg on a small boat, and who don’t work or study must wait 30 years.
SHORTER PERIODS OF SETTLEMENT
* People on higher salaries may settle early: £125,141 may qualify for settlement at 3 years, and £50,271 at 5 years
* Doctors, nurses, teachers may settle at 5 years
* People with a British connection, eg partners, parents, children of UK citizens: 5 years
* People who came from Hong Kong and other safe & legal routes route: 5 years
* People working in the care sector in May 2025 may settle at 5 years
* Care workers who don’t settle at 5 years will be given another chance after 5 more years’ work