Home Secretary announces earned settlement policy and care worker transitional protections
03 Nov 2026
On 2 November 2026 the Home Secretary announced that settlement in the UK will be "earned". The GOV.UK news release says "The right to live in the UK forever will no longer be granted to migrants almost automatically after 5 years." The page gives no start date, so we do not yet know when these rules will apply.
Waiting times depend on your contribution. The default is 10 years. The Home Secretary's statement says higher earners and people in healthcare or education roles, such as doctors, nurses and teachers, can settle after 5 years. The highest earners can settle after 3 years. People who broke immigration rules face at least 20 years. The news release and the statement give different salary figures for the faster routes, so check the official pages before relying on any number. The news release lists four conditions for all applicants: a clean criminal record, English at a high standard, no debt owed to the taxpayer, and a record of National Insurance contributions.
If you are a care worker, there are transitional arrangements. The statement says they apply to people who joined before the May 2025 Immigration White Paper. Those who met their visa conditions and earned £25,000 a year can settle after 5 years. Those who did not can be offered a new 5-year visa and then apply for settlement. The statement says they can also move to a new employer. The news release says a similar approach applies to healthcare and education public service workers who arrived in the same period.
Some routes are kept. The news release lists family members of British citizens, Hong Kong British National (Overseas) holders and members of the armed forces as protected pathways. The release also says "settled status will never be removed from anyone who already holds it". This is an announcement of policy. Watch GOV.UK for the detailed rules and any dates before you plan your application.
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