UK ILR Reform Not Scrapping Residency, Extends Path to 10 Years

The UK government is moving ahead with the most far-reaching immigration reform in years, proposing to lengthen the wait for Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) from five to ten years for most work routes while tightening skills, salary, and English language rules. Ministers set out the plan in a May 12, 2025 white paper titled “Restoring Control over the Immigration System.” As of September 2025, the proposals have not become law, but senior officials say legislation and updated Immigration Rules are expected in the coming months following consultations.

Crucially, there is no plan to abolish ILR entirely. The reforms aim to slow down and limit access to permanent residency without removing it from the system.

Government rationale and political context

Officials argue the package will:

• Reduce net migration
• Promote training for local workers
• Strengthen public confidence in the visa system

The changes come from the Labour administration elected in summer 2024, not from calls to abolish ILR by other parties. Analysis by VisaVerge.com describes the moment as one of delay rather than abolition: longer waits for settlement, higher entry barriers, and extended uncertainty for families and workers.

The government frames these measures as targeted corrections to reduce dependency on lower-paid migration and to push employers to invest in domestic training and better pay.

Key proposed changes (at a glance)

• ILR qualifying period: Increase to 10 years for most work-related visas (e.g., Skilled Worker, Global Talent).
• Family routes: Expected to remain on a 5-year path to ILR.
• English language:
  • B2 CEFR for settlement applicants.
  • Dependants: A1 for entry → A2 for extension → B2 for settlement.
• Graduate visa: Reduced from 2–3 years to 18 months (existing holders not impacted).
• Health & Care Worker route (adult social care):
  • New overseas applications closed from July 22, 2025.
  • Phased wind-down of switching into the route through 2029.
• Salary and fees: Raised thresholds and increased charges, including the Immigration Skills Charge at £480 per sponsored year for small companies and £1,320 per year for medium and large sponsors.
• Stricter checks on sponsor compliance and criminality.

Grandfathering and transitional protections — the critical unknown

Ministers have not confirmed whether the 10-year qualifying period will apply only to new entrants or also to those already in the UK. That single question—often called grandfathering—is the most pressing issue for thousands who planned their lives, mortgages, and children’s schooling around the five-year rule.

• If transitional protections apply: many current visa-holders could keep the five-year path.
• If not: those already in the UK could face extended waits up to 10 years for ILR.

Sector impacts and concerns

Business groups, education leaders, and service providers warn of serious side effects:

• Universities and research
  • Shorter Graduate visas and tougher settlement timelines could discourage international students and mid-career hires.
  • Research labs fear losing talent to countries with faster settlement paths (e.g., Canada).
• Health and social care
  • Providers expect immediate staffing pressures, especially in care homes and home-care services.
  • Local councils and private providers urge targeted exceptions to avoid care gaps.
• Hospitality, construction, and trades
  • Limiting Skilled Worker visas to degree-level roles risks sidelining vital practical shortages in trades and supervisory roles.
• Employers and HR teams
  • Higher fees and salary thresholds will strain budgets.
  • Longer sponsorship periods mean sustained right-to-work checks, repeated visa extensions, and more risk of noncompliance over a decade.
• Legal teams
  • Increased audits and stricter interpretations of sponsorship duties raise the stakes; small mistakes could derail settlement after years of investment.

Practical consequences for individuals

For many applicants, the effects are concrete:

• ILR and citizenship timelines will be pushed back (e.g., someone arriving in 2026 might only be eligible for ILR in 2036 under a 10-year rule).
• Applicants must meet:
  • 10 years of continuous lawful residence on a qualifying route (under the new model),
  • B2 English for settlement,
  • Life in the UK test pass,
  • Full compliance with visa conditions, tax payments, and a clean criminal record,
  • Payment of potentially higher fees at application stage.
• Dependants must meet rising English standards across their visa lifecycle.
• Breaks in residence, noncompliance, or unpaid taxes could wipe out years of progress.

Specific route changes and immediate effects

• Graduate visa: trimmed to 18 months. Research and tech sponsors warn reduced testing time before Skilled Worker sponsorship will make hiring riskier.
• Health & Care Worker route: no new overseas applications (from July 22, 2025) for adult social care, and a phase-out of switching into the route through 2029.
• Skilled Worker visas from July 2025: mainly limited to roles requiring degree-level qualifications, with certain shortage roles temporarily exempt until end of 2026.

Employers’ likely responses

Employers are already planning contingency measures:

1. Prioritize hiring people already in the UK (to preserve shorter settlement routes).
2. Shift toward fixed-term contracts or offshore/nearshore teams if ILR becomes a distant aim.
3. Build internal pathways from graduate roles into skilled sponsorship earlier to meet higher thresholds.
4. Increase training for line managers and strengthen record-keeping to avoid compliance breaches.

Calls for exceptions and consultations

The white paper pledges consultation before laying new Immigration Rules and hints at potential exceptions for people making “greater contributions” to the UK economy or society. Possible carve-outs under debate include:

• World-leading researchers
• Founders who create jobs
• Senior NHS clinicians

Business and academic groups are preparing case studies to argue for targeted exceptions that preserve competitiveness while meeting the government’s policy goals.

Guidance for applicants and sponsors now

While final rules are pending, practical steps include:

• Keep clean, organised records of employment, pay, and taxes.
• Dependants should plan for staged English tests over time.
• Review job titles/duties to confirm they meet degree-level expectations where relevant.
• Consider extending or switching visas under current rules before changes take effect—note this may or may not protect a five-year ILR route, depending on transitional policy.
• Monitor official updates for definitive guidance.

For authoritative information and future rule changes, visit the UK government’s visas and immigration page.

Political and social debate

Opposition parties and backbench MPs demand full impact assessments prior to parliamentary votes, focusing on effects on regional NHS trusts, care providers, small businesses, and research labs. Unions argue that investments in better pay and training for local workers must accompany realistic migration routes.

What happens next

• The Home Office is expected to issue more guidance and to consult on key details: whether current residents keep the five-year path, how exceptions will work, and how English language rules scale for dependants.
• If Parliament passes the new model largely intact: most skilled migrants could wait 10 years for ILR, and citizenship timelines would be pushed back accordingly.
• If MPs secure meaningful exceptions and protective transitional rules: the impact could be more balanced.

Either way, families, students, and employers now face a period of adjustment while the rules move from proposal to law—with real lives on hold until the Home Office confirms who must wait five years and who must wait ten.