Politics1 min read

UK to double wait for permanent residency, with exemptions for care workers

By · Published by Everything Blog

In short

The revised immigration rules establish income benchmarks, requiring earners making under £50,000 to wait 10 years for settlement while allowing those earning above £125,000 to qualify in three. Following political backlash, Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood carved out an exception allowing care workers making at least £25,000 to settle in five years. Meanwhile, asylum seekers arriving on unauthorized small boats face a 30-year wait for permanent status. Across categories, applicants must clear strict criteria, including a clean criminal record, strong English skills, and at least three years of national insurance contributions.

Key points

  • The new immigration rules apply retroactively to workers who are already living and worki…: The new immigration rules apply retroactively to workers who are already living and working in the country.
  • Applicants who owe money to the government or lack three years of national insurance cont…: Applicants who owe money to the government or lack three years of national insurance contributions will face disqualification.
  • Officials project that delaying settlement for half a million individuals will effectivel…: Officials project that delaying settlement for half a million individuals will effectively curb state welfare benefit spending.

Sources checked by our analysis pipeline: 1

Under the new rules, most foreign workers will have to wait 10 years to settle in the UK, but higher earners can qualify sooner.

The United Kingdom has revised its immigration rules, doubling the time most foreign workers must wait to qualify for permanent residency to 10 years and making refugees who arrive on “small boats” wait as long as 30 years.

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood, speaking in Parliament on Monday, said hundreds of thousands of care workers will be exempt from the hardline rules, offering a concession amid political outcry within the governing Labour Party.

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Permanent residency, known in the UK as indefinite leave to remain, carries the right to work, study, use the free National Health Service and claim welfare benefits. Until now, it has been granted after…

Politics