Migrants legally staying in the UK could have to wait up to more than 20 years before they can settle permanently under the government’s new proposals.
The decision was made under the biggest immigration system changes, happening in Britain in 50 years.
This illegal migration issue has been billed as the most sweeping asylum reforms in modern times, and the ‘biggest shake-up of the legal migration system’ in nearly 50 years.
The new rule changes will impact almost two million ‘Boriswave’ migrants already living in the UK as well as to those who plan to migrate in the near future.
UK Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has announced the qualifying period for indefinite leave to remain ILR will be extended from five to 10 years and will apply to the estimated 2.6 million who arrived since 2021.
The changes will not apply to people who had already obtained settlement.
Mahmood said, “Becoming part of the UK was not a right but a privilege—and one that must be earned.”
Under the new proposed changes, the standard wait will be 10 years—with a range of different criteria for different migrants.
- Legal migrants who claim benefits for less than 12 months will have to wait for 15 years.
- Those migrants, who arrived post-Brexit on health and social care visas would have to wait for 15 more years, up from 5 years currently.
- Whereas migrants who are reliant on benefits for more than 12 months, will face a 20-year wait for settlement, which is four times more than the current period.
The new policy also indicates that some illegal migrants can even face up to a 30-year wait for their settlement.
While those who are “making a strong contribution to British life,” will benefit from a reduced timeframe, which means doctors and nurses working in the NHS will be able to settle after 5 years, while high earners and entrepreneurs may be able to stay after just 3 years.
In addition to that, migrants who are fluent in English and meet British standards and volunteer could also have a faster route for settlement.
The UK ministers plan to introduce an ‘earned settlement’ system, requiring migrants to demonstrate social integration, economic contribution and good “character” before being granted settled status.
As reported by Reuters, this political discourse has been dominated by a decade-old debate over immigration, with successful governments implementing policies to curb arrivals, from tightening visa rules to raising salary thresholds for foreign workers.
Furthermore, the term “Boriswave” was first introduced by mainstream media when Boris Johnson was the UK’s prime minister and there had been a sharp increase in inward migration from outside the European Union EU after Brexit.
