Earned Settlement Consultation | International Recruitment

The Home Secretary has announced proposed changes to the pathway to settlement and launched a consultation on how these should be implemented. These changes aim to ensure the immigration framework remains fair, sustainable, and responsive to the needs of the economy and society.

Key proposals under consultation include:

• Increasing the default qualifying period for settlement from 5 years to 10 years, as set out in the Immigration White Paper Restoring Control over the Immigration System.
• Increasing the qualifying period for settlement to 15 years for those in the Skilled Worker and Health and Care routes in a role below RQF level 6 (this includes care workers and senior care workers).
• Introducing a “No Recourse to Public Funds” (NRPF) condition at settlement, aligning with existing visa conditions.
• Earned settlement criteria, requiring migrants to demonstrate sustained good conduct, contribution, and integration rather than automatic entitlement after a fixed period.

The consultation is open until 11:59pm on 12 February 2026. We would be very grateful if you would circulate to Providers and International Recruits so they can share their thoughts and views.  This is also open to you, relevant colleagues and networks, so please share accordingly.

To learn more and how to respond, please visit the official consultation page: Earned Settlement – GOV.UK .