LONDON – UK Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has announced to increase the qualifying period for the permanent residency in the UK from 5 years to 10 years.
The changes will apply to almost 2 million migrants who arrived in the UK from 2021, subject to consultation on transitional arrangements for borderline cases. It will not apply to those with existing settled status who have made their lives here.
In a statement to Parliament, Mahmood clarified that individuals applying for permanent residency must have a clean criminal record, no outstanding debts, and proficiency in English at the A-level standard.
However, the rules will be slightly different for certain professionals. Doctors and nurses working for the NHS will still be eligible to apply for permanent residency after 5 years of residence.
Highly skilled individuals, high earners, and entrepreneurs will be able to apply after 3 years, while illegal immigrants will face a 3-year waiting period before applying for permanent residency.
Mahmood emphasized that permanent residency in the UK is not a right, but a privilege that must be earned through fulfilling these new requirements.
The UK Home Office in a statement said the biggest shake-up of the legal migration system in nearly half a century will be launched, designed to reward those who contribute and play by the rules.
Low-paid workers, such as the 616,000 people and their dependants who came on health and social care visas between 2022 and 2024, would be subject to a 15 year baseline. The route was closed earlier this year following widespread abuse, the home office said.
Illegal migrants and visa overstayers would have to wait up to 30 years to settle, removing the prospect of long-term residence and security in the UK.
