UK extends permanent residency wait to 10 years with exemption for care workers

Most foreign workers in the United Kingdom will have to wait 10 years to qualify for permanent residency under revised immigration rules, twice the previous requirement. Announcing the changes in Parliament on Monday, Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said hundreds of thousands of care workers would receive an exemption following opposition within the governing Labour Party. Refugees arriving by small boat could face waits of up to 30 years.

The overhaul is scheduled to take effect in 2027 and will apply retroactively to workers already living in the country. Permanent residency, formally called indefinite leave to remain, provides the right to work, study, access the free National Health Service and claim welfare benefits. It has previously been available after five years.

Income will determine how quickly workers can apply. Those earning more than 50,000 pounds ($67,000) annually will retain a five-year route, while people paid more than 125,000 pounds ($167,500) can apply after three years. Other workers will generally face a 10-year wait. Britain's median salary is approximately 39,000 pounds ($52,000). Mahmood argued that settlement should reflect immigrants' contributions, telling lawmakers: “Those who contribute most will settle fastest.”

The government initially proposed in 2025 that lower-skilled workers wait between 10 and 15 years. Unions and sections of Labour strongly opposed the proposal, particularly its consequences for care workers in a sector with persistent staffing shortages and often low wages. Many care workers came to Britain in the early 2020s during the COVID-19 pandemic, helping replace European workers who had left after Brexit. Under the revised policy, they can settle after five years if they comply with their visa conditions and earn at least 25,000 pounds ($33,500) a year.

Refugees entering through the government's new safe and legal routes will also qualify for settlement after five years, Mahmood said. Other refugees will normally wait 20 years, with that period shortened to 10 years for those working or studying. People who entered through what she described as an illegal method, including small boats, could have to wait as long as 30 years.

Applicants will also be excluded if they have a criminal record, owe the government money, lack a high standard of English or have made fewer than three years of national insurance contributions. Mahmood said the changes would delay settlement for half a million people and save billions of pounds in welfare payments. The government estimates that up to 1.4 million people will obtain settled status between 2026 and 2030.

The announcement followed a 12-week public consultation that received more than 200,000 responses. The measures form part of a wider push to tighten immigration policy after arrivals increased following Brexit, with the government facing political pressure over migration.

That pressure includes Nigel Farage's populist Reform UK party, which has gained popularity in recent years while demanding tougher migration controls. Reform UK has portrayed refugee arrivals across the English Channel in small boats as a crisis. Anti-immigration activists have also held demonstrations, including outside accommodation for asylum seekers.

Prime Minister Andy Burnham's government says closer law enforcement cooperation with France has helped bring down Channel crossings. According to the government, the number of people making the journey so far in 2026 has fallen by more than 40 percent compared with 2025.