UK’s Earned Settlement: What Indians Must Know About 10-Year Path

The United Kingdom is preparing to move from a time-based to a contribution-based route for permanent residence, in a reform that could sharply change how Indian migrants and other foreign nationals secure Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR). Under a new Earned Settlement model outlined in the government’s 2025 Immigration White Paper, settlement would no longer come simply after living in the country for a set number of years. Instead, from around April 2026, most migrants may need up to ten years of qualifying residence and will have to show strong economic contribution, good conduct, and clear signs of integration to obtain ILR.

Key timing and consultation

• The plan is under public consultation until 12 February 2026.
• The White Paper proposes doubling the normal qualifying period for many workers from five to ten years.
• The long-residence rule (allowing ILR after ten years of continuous lawful stay regardless of visa type) is likely to be removed, eliminating a commonly used back-up route to settlement.

According to analysis by VisaVerge.com, the overall direction is clear: the UK wants fewer people reaching permanent status by default and more people proving they bring long-term economic and social benefit.

How the Earned Settlement model would work

The new baseline would apply across most standard work and family routes, but it will no longer be a simple waiting game. Applicants would be assessed at the settlement stage on multiple factors:

• Income level and tax records
• Stable employment and compliance with visa conditions
• Criminal record and serious breaches of immigration rules
• Reliance on public funds
• English language skills (see baseline requirements below)
• Wider integration into British society

Those who perform well on these measures could be allowed to secure ILR earlier than ten years, while those with weak records or past breaches could see their path stretched beyond a decade.

Immediate impacts on different groups

Skilled workers (including many from India)

• The familiar five-year promise attached to many work visas (e.g., Skilled Worker visa) may be lost.
• A migrant who expected to apply for ILR after five continuous years may now face up to ten qualifying years, unless they can demonstrate:
  • High and stable earnings
  • Strong English
  • A clean compliance history
• The government suggests higher earners and those in key professional roles will be most likely to “earn” a shorter path.

Dependants and families

• The current close link between the main applicant’s ILR timetable and dependants would weaken.
• Each family member is expected to be assessed individually on residence, conduct, and integration.
• Consequences:
  • Spouses who have not worked, have weaker English, or gaps in lawful residence could need a longer qualifying period than the main visa holder.
  • Some households could face different ILR dates for family members.
  • In harder cases, partners or children might never qualify for settlement even if the main worker does.

Lower-paid and lower-skilled workers

• The model places strong weight on economic contribution, with income and tax records as key signals of value.
• Those in jobs below graduate skill level or on lower salaries may be:
  • Trapped on temporary visas for a decade or more, or
  • Shut out of ILR entirely if unable to meet thresholds.
• The White Paper hints at even longer routes for some roles:
  • Certain health and care roles at lower skill bands could face a fifteen-year route.
  • Those heavily reliant on public funds may be pushed to a twenty-year timeline.

International students (notably from India)

• Previously clear progression—degree → Graduate route → Skilled Worker sponsorship → ILR after five years—becomes longer and less predictable.
• A student entering the workforce in their mid-twenties may now face around ten years of qualifying work and compliance before ILR, unless they move into higher-paid roles.
• This could influence comparisons with destinations such as the United States and Canada.

Baseline conditions proposed by the Home Office

Applicants seeking ILR under the new system would need to satisfy a set of baseline conditions intended to show “character”, “integration”, “contribution” and “residence”.

• Clean criminal record
• No serious breaches of immigration rules
• No heavy or ongoing reliance on public funds
• English language: tested at B2 level on the Common European Framework (higher than some current routes)
• Passed the Life in the UK test

The White Paper positions these as four pillars under the Earned Settlement model: contribution, residence, character, and integration.

How residence length would be treated

• While residence length remains important, simply reaching ten years would not guarantee ILR.
• Long periods of lawful stay without strong economic activity would carry less weight than shorter, more productive periods with:
  • Good earnings
  • Tax payments
  • Community links
• High earners (especially above key tax thresholds) could have waiting times reduced.
• Overstayers or people who entered illegally could face penalty periods stretching routes to twenty or thirty years.

This marks a sharp contrast to the outgoing approach, where the ten-year long-residence category often provided a second chance to people with complicated visa histories.

Arguments for and against the reform

• Government rationale:
  • Reduce net migration.
  • Tie permanent status to “contribution and integration” rather than mere presence.
• Critics’ concerns:
  • Creation of long-term insecurity for many migrants who have built lives in the UK.
  • Someone who has lived lawfully for nine years, paid tax, and raised a family could still be refused ILR if they fall short on income or other contribution measures at the time of application.

Practical implications for individuals and families

• Example scenarios:
  • A London-based software engineer may need to plan for a decade of continuous, well-paid work with no long employment gaps to stand a solid chance at ILR.
  • A care worker in a smaller town, earning less and with fewer promotion opportunities, might find permanent settlement very unlikely or a very long-term goal.
  • Couples where one partner earns highly and the other cares for children or studies may need to consider whether the non-working partner should enter the labour market earlier to build an independent contribution record.

Concerns for young people raised in the UK

• Removing the long-residence route could affect young people who moved between visa categories.
• Under the current system, a child who has stayed lawfully across routes could rely on the ten-year long-residence category to secure ILR in early adulthood.
• If removed, these young adults may face a patchwork of work, family, or study routes with longer timelines and stricter conditions, possibly leaving many on temporary status into their thirties.

Status of the proposals and next steps

• None of these changes are in force yet. The proposals are open for public comment.
• The government has invited submissions from employers, universities, charities, and individual migrants.
• Important details still pending:
  • Exact income thresholds for shorter settlement routes
  • Special protections for existing residents
  • Possible exceptions for vulnerable groups
• The Home Office says it wants a system that is “transparent and rules-based”, but final judgement will depend on how the rules treat those already part-way to ILR.

For current official guidance on settlement, refer to the government page on Indefinite Leave to Remain at https://www.gov.uk/indefinite-leave-to-remain.

Practical advice from lawyers and advisers

Lawyers urge migrants not to assume present rules will apply when they are ready to apply for ILR in late 2026 or later. Recommended steps:

1. Keep copies of payslips and tax records.
2. Avoid any gaps in lawful residence.
3. Meet English (B2) and Life in the UK standards early.
4. Watch closely for announcements on transitional rules that may protect those already well advanced on an existing five-year route.

International context and choice implications

• The Earned Settlement plan follows a global pattern of judging migrants on measurable contribution, language skills, and social ties rather than strictly on years of residence.
• For the Indian diaspora, the reform underscores that decisions on where to study, work and raise a family should consider the long-term settlement landscape, not only the first visa grant.

Whether the UK’s new approach makes it a less attractive destination or merely a more demanding one will depend on how the draft rules are written into law and how strictly they are applied once enacted.