2nd November 2026 – (London) Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood is expected to set out her final decision on reforms to settlement for legal migrants next week, after signalling changes to earlier proposals that would have doubled the standard qualifying period for indefinite leave to remain from five to 10 years and extended it to 15 years for some lower‑paid roles. It is understood that most people already working in social care in the United Kingdom are now likely to be exempt from the longest waits, following pushback over the impact on key frontline staff.
The home secretary’s review follows a period of very high net migration under the previous government and intense debate within her own party about whether new rules should apply to workers who arrived in good faith under existing terms. Before returning to the cabinet, Housing Secretary Angela Rayner criticised the idea of applying tougher conditions retrospectively as “un‑British”, a view echoed by others who warned of uncertainty for families and employers.
While the detail will be confirmed in Parliament, it remains likely that most other workers would need to live and work in the country for 10 years before qualifying for permanent settlement, with potential reductions for those making strong contributions to their communities or earning higher incomes. The government’s consultation on the reforms drew around 200,000 responses, underscoring the breadth of interest across business, civil society and affected migrants.
Opposition parties have accused ministers of retreating under internal pressure, with Conservative figures arguing that easing back from the toughest elements would burden taxpayers and dilute control of migration.
