| Status | proposal; consultation closed, no outcome published |
| Consultation | 20 November 2025 to 12 February 2026 |
| Rule change | none; the latest statement of changes is HC 584 of 3 September 2026, with no earned settlement |
| Proposed standard period | 10 years instead of 5, with reductions and additions |
| Decided | B2 English for settlement on most work routes from 26 March 2027 (HC 1691) |
| Not affected | settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme; anyone who already holds ILR |
What the government proposed
In November 2025 the Home Office published A Fairer Pathway to Settlement and opened a consultation on earned settlement. The idea: settlement should no longer follow automatically after a fixed period, but be earned through good conduct, contribution and integration.
In practice the standard qualifying period would rise from five to ten years for most people. That baseline would come down for things like high income, very good English or public service work, and go up for things like claiming public funds or breaching immigration rules. The separate ten-year long residence route would go, because it would be absorbed into the new system.
Proposed reductions (selection)
From the table in the consultation paper. Only the largest reduction from this table would apply. Everything here is a proposal, not law.
| Condition | Proposed effect |
|---|---|
| Taxable income of £125,140 in the 3 years before applying | minus 7 years |
| Taxable income of £50,270 in the 3 years before applying | minus 5 years |
| English at C1 | minus 1 year |
| 3 years on Global Talent or Innovator Founder | minus 7 years |
| Partner, parent or child of a British citizen | minus 5 years (not part of the consultation) |
GOV.UK, A Fairer Pathway to Settlement, November 2025
Who it would affect
The most uncomfortable line in the paper concerns people who are already here. The government proposes to apply the changes to everyone who does not yet hold indefinite leave to remain, including people planning to settle in the coming months and years. Whether there will be transitional rules was one of the consultation's explicit questions.
Two groups are clearly out. If you are already settled, you keep your status: the paper says plainly that the government will not take away settlement already granted. And settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme sits outside the reform because of the Withdrawal Agreement.
Partners and children of British citizens would stay at five years. Global Talent and Innovator Founder would keep their three-year fast track.
Where things stand today
The consultation ran from 20 November 2025 to 12 February 2026. Since then GOV.UK has said the Home Office is analysing the responses; no outcome has been published. Statements of changes have been laid since the consultation closed, among them HC 1691 in March and, most recently, HC 584 in September 2026. None of them implements earned settlement. So the qualifying periods for settlement are the same today as before: five years on most routes.
Whether the reform comes, and in what form, is still open. We update this page as soon as rules are laid. For the rules that apply today, see indefinite leave to remain.
Quite apart from earned settlement, one tightening is already law. Under HC 1691 the Home Office will require English at B2 instead of B1 for settlement on most work routes from 26 March 2027. It applies to everyone already on the way, too. If you plan to settle in 2027 or later, build the test into your plans.
What we advise today
- Plan with the rules in force, but leave a margin: if you want to settle in the next few years, do not bank on the last possible day.
- Start preparing for B2 English now if you plan to settle after 26 March 2027.
- Keep clean records of your UK income and tax payments. In the proposal they are the biggest lever for a shorter wait.
- Check whether you qualify for Global Talent; under the proposal that route stays fast.
- EU citizens with pre-settled status are not affected, but should keep an eye on the absence rules.
Status and tax
A right to live in the UK and tax residence are two separate things. Whether you are UK tax resident is decided year by year by the statutory residence test, not by your visa or your status. How they fit together is explained in status and tax, in our overview of the UK tax system and, for the first years after arrival, under the FIG regime.
Frequently asked questions
Is earned settlement already in force?
No. It is a proposal. The consultation has closed; there is no outcome and no rule change so far (as of 2 November 2026).
As a Skilled Worker, do I now have to wait ten years?
Not under the current rules. Today it is five years. The proposal would change that if it is implemented.
Does it affect my EUSS settled status?
No. The EU Settlement Scheme is expressly out of scope.
What is certain?
B2 English for settlement on most work routes from 26 March 2027.
Sources: GOV.UK: Earned settlement (consultation); GOV.UK: Statement of changes HC 1691, explanatory memorandum; GOV.UK: Immigration Rules, statements of changes; GOV.UK: Statement of changes HC 584, explanatory memorandum
