British Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood is set to unveil a major overhaul of the UK’s migrant settlement system following months of intense public and political debate.
The new framework aims to replace the traditional “time-served” permanent residency model with a stricter “earned settlement” system.
Interior minister Shabana Mahmood will on Monday set out reforms to how migrants can settle in Britain, in a bid to balance voter demands for lower immigration with business warnings that tough rules could deter workers who the country still needs.
Under the proposed reforms, migrants could face longer waiting periods—potentially moving from the standard 5-year path up to 10 years or more depending on their skill level, earnings, and contribution—while facing heightened requirements for English language proficiency and community integration.
The reforms are the government’s latest attempt to toughen the rules after the number of arrivals surged following Britain’s departure from the European Union, with post-Brexit immigration policies leading to an influx of healthcare workers and students from around the world.
While the government pitches the overhaul as a necessary response to voter concerns over immigration numbers and long-term welfare sustainability, business groups and industry leaders have warned that tougher residency rules risk exacerbating ongoing worker shortages in key sectors like health, social care, and hospitality.
Despite dropping in the opinion polls since the governing Labour Party elected Andy Burnham as prime minister, Nigel Farage’s populist Reform UK party has been a major factor in driving the push for stricter migration controls.
Under current rules, most migrants can apply for indefinite leave to remain after five years in Britain, enabling them to claim some welfare benefits.
Mahmood proposed replacing that with an “earned settlement” system, making 10 years the standard route to permanent residency and requiring some lower-paid workers, including care workers, to wait up to 15 years.
Speaking before Mahmood’s announcement later on Monday, junior business minister Chris McDonald said immigration levels had become unsustainable under the previous government that was led by the Conservatives.
