Among the many significant changes proposed in the Government's White Paper on immigration is the doubling of the standard qualifying period for settlement in the UK from five to ten years. Under the proposed "Earned Settlement" model, migrants will need to demonstrate long-term contributions to the UK economy and society—mirroring principles from the Points-Based System—before being granted permanent status. The same model will be extended to citizenship¹ applications.

The Government argues that simply spending time in the UK and passing the Life in the UK test is no longer sufficient to qualify for such a "privileged" status. Instead, the planned reforms aim to reward integration² and encourage economic participation³.

However, the Government says it will continue to offer a shorter five-year pathway to settlement for non-UK dependants⁴ of British citizens, provided they comply with visa requirements. Existing protections will also remain in place for vulnerable groups, including victims of domestic abuse and bereaved⁵ parents. In addition, further changes are planned that will allow individuals to reduce the 10-year qualifying period based on their Points-Based contributions to the UK.