UK sets 10-year wait for most migrants seeking permanent settlement
- Britain's Home Office has unveiled an Earned Settlement model tying permanent residency to earnings and conduct.
- Most migrants will now wait 10 years, up from five, with care workers who meet conditions keeping a five-year route.
- The government says over 500,000 people will wait longer, a change it says will cut the welfare bill.
Most migrants who want to settle permanently in the United Kingdom will now wait 10 years instead of five, under new rules the British government announced on Monday.
The Home Office published the policy, called the Earned Settlement model, on its website and laid it before Parliament. How long a migrant waits will now depend on earnings, conduct and whether they have followed immigration rules.
The change matters to many Nigerian families, given the number of Nigerians who study and work in Britain, especially in health and social care.
Who waits how long
Under the tiers, migrants earning more than £125,000 a year can settle after three years. Those earning more than £50,271 a year, along with some public service workers such as doctors, nurses and teachers, qualify after five years.
Everyone else faces the new 10-year default. Migrants who breach immigration rules will wait at least 20 years, and those who arrive by small boat or other secret routes could wait up to 30 years.
Care workers who came during the COVID-19 pandemic, met their visa conditions and earned at least £25,000 a year keep a five-year route. Those who do not qualify, about a quarter of the group according to the government, will be offered a fresh five-year visa and can apply to settle only after completing it.
All applicants must meet four conditions: a clean criminal record, English to a high standard, no debt to the taxpayer, and a record of National Insurance contributions. The government said the criminal record requirement would be raised from the current threshold of a 12-month suspended sentence, and the English standard raised to A-Level equivalent.
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said settled status had until now been given almost automatically. "From today, it must be earned," she said. "Those who contribute most will settle fastest."
Prime Minister Andy Burnham backed the plan, saying the system should reward "control, contribution" and those who play by the rules. He said the previous government lost control of immigration after Brexit.
Refugees and existing residents
Refugees who arrived through Home Office-approved routes can settle after five years, while others wait 20 years, cut to 10 if they work or study. Small boat arrivals face an extra 10-year penalty on top.
The government said people who already hold settled status will not lose it. Family members of British citizens, Hong Kong British Nationals (Overseas) and armed forces members keep their existing routes.
Officials estimate more than 500,000 people will now wait longer than five years, which the government says will take billions off the welfare bill. Vanguard reported the changes are expected to take effect next year and will also apply to migrants already in Britain.
The government said no one will be forced to leave, and that everyone can apply for new visas allowing settlement after 10 years.
What happens next
The rules have been laid before Parliament. According to Vanguard, the changes are expected to take effect next year. Nigerians already working in Britain, and those planning to travel for work or study, should check how the new tiers and conditions apply to their visa route.
