Ministers intend to double the standard qualifying period for Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) to ten years, reshaping the long‑term plans of legally resident migrants and the employers who rely on them. Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood told MPs the changes would apply to those who arrived since 2021, while people already settled would be unaffected, according to BBC reporting.

ILR matters because it brings permanence: no work restrictions, access to public services and a route to citizenship. Most work and family visas currently qualify after five years. Under the plan, ten years becomes the default, with an ‘earned settlement’ model that can shorten or lengthen the route depending on contribution and conduct.

The scale backdrop is significant. Home Office figures indicate net migration added about 2.6 million people to the UK population between 2021 and 2024. Settlement grants are expected to surge too, with roughly 1.6 million people forecast to settle between 2026 and 2030. Those volumes help explain the push to recalibrate who qualifies, and when.

Eligibility would be tightened. Applicants must show A‑level standard English, a clean criminal record and earnings above £12,570 a year for at least three years. Family members would no longer gain status automatically when the main applicant qualifies; children who arrived under 18 may settle with parents, while older dependants may face separate requirements.

There will be faster tracks for specific groups. NHS doctors and nurses would still be able to settle after five years. High earners, entrepreneurs and other ‘brightest and best’ candidates could qualify in three. Existing routes for victims of domestic abuse, bereaved partners and resettled refugees remain in place.

The Home Office says a consultation runs until 12 February, with phased implementation from spring 2026. The package builds on measures outlined in a May white paper and sits alongside a broader asylum overhaul announced this week, shifting permanent refugee status to time‑limited leave reviewed every 30 months.

Politics is already sharpening. Conservative shadow home secretary Chris Philp said his party would support the changes while urging ministers to adopt a migration cap, and accused Labour of reviving policies it once opposed. Reform UK has previously argued for scrapping ILR altogether in favour of renewable visas.

Front‑line concerns are immediate. Public service union UNISON warns the plan could be “devastating” for thousands of essential workers across care, education and NHS support roles, raising retention risks in services already stretched. General secretary Christina McAnea says staff who served through Covid could face well over a decade of uncertainty if routes are disrupted.

For employers, the operational questions start now. A longer path to settlement means more years of visa renewals, sponsorship management and immigration health surcharge payments. HR teams should map cohorts by visa expiry, check how many staff can meet the proposed £12,570 earnings test, and budget for training to reach the higher English requirement.

In health and social care the split is stark. Hospital doctors and registered nurses keep a five‑year pathway, a relief for NHS trusts managing rota gaps. But many nursing assistants and care workers employed by private providers would be on the ten‑year track. A mid‑sized care group employing 150 overseas staff could face two extra visa cycles per worker over the next decade, materially lifting turnover and onboarding costs.

Higher education and tech see a mixed picture. A principal investigator or scale‑up founder on a high salary may reach settlement in three years, strengthening hiring pitches against the US and EU. Yet tighter family and dependant rules could blunt that advantage, particularly for candidates with older relatives or volatile early‑stage earnings.

The direction of travel is clear: permanence in the UK is becoming more conditional and more closely linked to economic contribution. With consultation live and implementation targeted for spring 2026, employers, universities and sector bodies should submit evidence now-and model pay, visa and retention scenarios before contracts are renewed in 2025–26.