UK Government Drops Proposed 15-Year Worker Route in Earned Settlement Response

The UK government has dropped its proposed 15-year settlement pathway for workers in occupations below RQF level 6, setting out a revised approach to indefinite leave to remain on 2 November 2026. Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood announced the policy response, which sets a standard qualifying period of 10 years and allows shorter or longer routes tied to applicants’ circumstances.

The framework covers most people in the UK who have not yet settled, including existing visa holders and their families. The government calls the approach earned settlement: residence alone would not qualify someone.

The policy is not fully in force. The government plans to introduce most changes through Immigration Rules during 2027, with further details and guidance to come before implementation.

Settlement would depend on contribution as well as residence

The government’s response sets out four principles: character, contribution, integration and residence. It says settlement must be earned rather than automatic. Applicants would have to meet mandatory standards that higher earnings or other contributions cannot replace.

Those standards include:

• Good character and suitability, with the framework setting stricter criminality provisions. An adult applicant with a UK criminal record would be refused settlement; certain overseas convictions may also lead to refusal.
• No outstanding government debt, including NHS debt, unpaid tax, National Insurance contributions or litigation debt owed to the Home Office.
• English at Level B2 on the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages, up from B1, and a pass in the Life in the UK test. The B2 requirement is due to apply to specified settlement applications from 26 March 2027.
• Sustained contribution, normally through earnings of at least £12,571 a year for the required period.

There are shorter routes for people who meet higher contribution criteria. The response ties earnings thresholds to income-tax bands and assesses income over a person’s “best years,” allowing for periods affected by caring responsibilities, parental leave or ill health. The government also describes routes based on eligible public service and a British connection.

The final framework removes one route and changes family arrangements

Couples who meet the requirements can combine earnings against a £25,142 household threshold. A partner arriving with the main applicant may qualify to settle at the same time if they meet the rules. A partner who arrives later would normally complete the corresponding residence period.

Two proposed ways to reduce the qualifying period will not be used. Volunteering and C1 English will not shorten it. The revised policy also removes the 15-year occupational pathway for workers below RQF level 6.

Existing visa holders face targeted protections, not a general exemption

Most people already living in the UK without settlement will come under the new framework, even if they expected to qualify sooner. Existing Skilled Workers could move to a 10-year pathway. The government has instead set out targeted arrangements for defined groups who were in the country before the Immigration White Paper in May 2025.

Care workers who entered or switched into their route before the White Paper can retain a five-year qualifying period if they meet the relevant salary, sponsorship and employment conditions. Specified health and education workers below RQF level 6 who were already in the UK before May 2025 may also keep a five-year route. Pre-4 April 2024 Skilled Workers using lower salary thresholds can extend on those terms until 2035.

The government intends to close the existing 10-year Long Residence route. It has not set a full commencement timetable, published detailed general transitional provisions or fixed the route’s closure date. Existing arrangements will continue in the meantime.

Special settlement commitments also remain for Hong Kong BN(O) migrants, eligible Afghan and legacy safe-and-legal schemes, certain armed forces personnel and families, and protected vulnerable groups. The EU Settlement Scheme and certain historic or statutory routes remain outside the main framework.

Rules and guidance will determine when the framework takes effect

The government plans to begin laying changes in the December 2026 Immigration Rules and implement them over the course of 2027. Existing settlement applications remain subject to the Immigration Rules that apply to them; the policy response itself does not change current law. The government says it will issue further technical and operational guidance before implementation.

The consultation received 204,667 responses. It ran from 20 November 2025 to 12 February 2026.

Care workers whose sponsor’s licence is removed are intended to have up to 120 days to secure a genuine job offer, followed by a further 60 days to resolve their immigration and employment position. Those periods are due to start on 1 February 2027.

This article provides general information and is not legal advice. Consult a qualified immigration attorney about your specific case.