UK residency wait doubles to 10 years for most foreign workers

Most foreign workers in the United Kingdom will face a ten-year wait for permanent residency under new immigration rules. Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood announced the changes in Parliament on Monday. The previous requirement stood at five years.

The policy takes effect in 2027 and applies retroactively to workers already in the country. Permanent residency, formally known as indefinite leave to remain, grants rights to work, study, use the National Health Service, and claim welfare. Mahmood stated that hundreds of thousands of care workers would receive an exemption. This concession followed opposition within the governing Labour Party.

Annual income determines the speed of settlement. Workers earning more than 50,000 pounds, or roughly 67,000 dollars, keep the five-year route. Those earning over 125,000 pounds, or about 167,500 dollars, can apply after three years. Other workers generally face the ten-year wait. The median salary in Britain is approximately 39,000 pounds, or 52,000 dollars. Mahmood told lawmakers that those who contribute most will settle fastest.

Care workers can settle after five years if they meet visa conditions and earn at least 25,000 pounds, or 33,500 dollars, annually. Many of these workers arrived in the early 2020s during the pandemic to replace European staff who left after Brexit. The government initially proposed waits of 10 to 15 years for lower-skilled workers in 2025. Unions and parts of the Labour Party opposed the original plan due to staffing shortages in the care sector.

Refugees entering through new safe and legal routes qualify for settlement after five years. Other refugees normally wait 20 years, a period shortened to 10 years if they are working or studying. People who entered by illegal methods, including small boats, may wait up to 30 years. Applicants can also be excluded for criminal records, unpaid government debts, low English standards, or fewer than three years of national insurance contributions.

Mahmood said the changes will 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 drew more than 200,000 responses.

The measures form part of a wider push to tighten immigration policy after arrivals increased following Brexit. Prime Minister Andy Burnham's government faces pressure from Nigel Farage's Reform UK party, which has demanded tougher migration controls. The government reports that Channel crossings in 2026 have fallen by more than 40 percent compared with 2025.