Eligible for UK settlement? Apply now before the rules change
09 December 2025 | posted in Immigration law
On 20 November 2025, the Home Secretary, Shabana Mahmood, released a statement and consultation paper entitled “A Fairer Pathway to Settlement”. It sets out the government’s proposed changes to settlement in the UK, which will now no longer be automatic and can only be achieved through “earned settlement”.
Here, we summarise the important points of the policy paper.
Key changes to UK settlement requirements
The new proposals introduce various concepts which can be grouped into four “core pillars”, each with specific requirements, as follows:
Character
Similar to most current types of UK immigration applications, prospective applicants will need to meet the suitability requirements. These include not having any previous criminal convictions, not having any litigation, NHS, tax or other government debt, as well as not falling foul of other requirements.
Integration
Applicants will need to show “meaningful engagement with British society”. Conditions include, but are not limited to, meeting the English language requirement at level B2 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) and passing the Life in the UK Test.
Contribution
Those who have made a “sustained and measurable economic contribution” may be eligible for an accelerated path to settlement. The minimum requirement for settlement is that an applicant must have contributed to the Exchequer by having earned an annual salary above £12,570 for a minimum of three to five years before applying. This is in line with current thresholds for income tax and national insurance contributions, or an alternative level of income.
Residence
An individual will still need to have spent the relevant period of continuous lawful residence in the UK and the “baseline qualifying period” for settlement will increase from five years to ten years. Residence alone, however, will not be sufficient to qualify for settlement.
Overview of additional factors affecting settlement
Ways the baseline qualifying period of residence of ten years might be reduced include:
- where an applicant can show English language ability at level C1 of the CEFR which should lead to a reduction of one year;
- earning a taxable income of £125,140 per year during the three years immediately before the application, which should lead to a reduction of seven years;
- earning a taxable income of £50,270 per year during the three years immediately before the application, which should lead to a reduction of five years;
- working in the community, e.g. volunteer work, which should lead to a reduction of between three and five years.
- NB: an applicant cannot use more than one consideration in any application for settlement when trying to reduce the baseline period and additional years will take precedence over any reduction.
Ways the baseline qualifying period of residence of ten years might be increased include:
- where an applicant receives public funding for less than 12 months during their route to settlement, five years will be added (totalling 15 years);
- where an applicant receives public funding for more than 12 months during the route to settlement, ten years will be added (totalling 20 years).
Increasing the baseline qualifying period of residence of ten years by up to 20 years (potentially totalling 30 years) include:
- applicants arriving in the UK illegally, for example via a small boat,
- applicants entering the UK on a visitor visa,
- applicants who overstayed a period of permission for six months or more.
The consultation is currently due to close at 11:59pm on 12 February 2026 and these changes may come into effect as soon as April 2026.
Expert advice
Anyone who is currently eligible for settlement in the UK, or who will be eligible to apply for settlement before February 2026, should apply before the changes take effect. The UK immigration team at Moore SGD Law is here to advise and represent individuals to optimise their application’s outcome.
