Visa Watch! The United Kingdom: week of 2 November 2026

United Kingdom plans a 10-year wait for permanent settlement, with five years for some groups

See if it affects you.

On 2 November 2026, the Home Secretary, the minister responsible for immigration, announced a policy called 'earned settlement'. Under the plan, most people earning under £50,000 would wait 10 years instead of five before applying to stay permanently in the United Kingdom. A five-year route would remain for people earning over £50,000, doctors, nurses and teachers, and some care workers who earned £25,000 and met their visa conditions. The statement does not give a start date for the changes.

This is an announcement, not a law. Nothing has changed yet, announced plans are often changed or dropped, and there is nothing to apply under until it is in force.

Official source: Earned settlement