This is the summary of the announcement made by Shabana Mahmood on Earned Settlement.
Further details will follow.
Three years - People earning over £125,000 and those on specified talent schemes
Five years - People earning over £50,000 and qualifying healthcare and education professionals, such as doctors, nurses and teachers
Ten years - Most other migrants who do not qualify for an exception, including lower earners
Twenty years - Those who commit an immigration breach, according to the statement
Care workers who joined the route before the May 2025 Immigration White Paper, fulfilled their visa conditions and earn £25,000 a year in social care would retain their existing five-year pathway.
Those in that earlier group who have not fulfilled the conditions including workers affected by rogue sponsors would be offered a further five-year care visa, with the opportunity to move to a legitimate employer and settle after completing that period.
The Government says it will help displaced workers find employment and allow longer before curtailing their existing visas.
Similar transitional arrangements would cover specified healthcare and education roles, including auxiliary nurses.
Applicants would need to meet requirements concerning criminal records, English proficiency, outstanding public debt and three years of National Insurance contributions.
The statement also says people who have claimed benefits would need five continuous years without relying on those benefits before applying.
Existing settlement pathways would remain for specified groups, including Hong Kong BN(O) holders, armed forces members and legacy routes such as Windrush. New safe and legal refugee routes would offer a five-year pathway.
The key point: earning under £50,000 does not automatically mean waiting ten years the exceptions and transitional protections matter.
Implementation dates, dependants’ eligibility and the precise treatment of employment gaps will need to be checked against the published Immigration Rules.
If you are unsure how these changes affect you, your family or your business, speak to one of our advisers. Book an appointment or come to our free drop-in sessions in Coventry.
