Important note: These changes are not yet law. The Home Secretary announced the changes on 2 November 2026. They still need to be passed into policy. In the meantime, SEEAC will continue to urge against these discriminatory reforms.
SEEAC Statement
We are extremely concerned by the Government’s proposed immigration changes. The reforms to permanent settlement would make it harder for people to build a secure life, a home and community in the UK, while dividing our communities and threatening to push migrants in precarious situations into deeper vulnerability.
The Government is pressing ahead with reforms that privilege wealth and economic advantage, while punishing the poor, precarious and vulnerable. Your ability to live permanently in the UK would now be dependent on how much money you make or your ability to work, rather based on fairness and rights. This is harming people who are already struggling to get by or who are unable to work, such as people with disabilities or the elderly. It would also negatively impact people who do unpaid care work or precarious work, disproportionately affecting women in our communities.
For migrants navigating exploitation, poverty, unstable work, or irregular immigration status, these proposed policies further create steep hurdles to safety, stability, and basic legal protections. Stricter eligibility rules strike out people with prior immigration breaches, without considering how they got in those situations in the first place, which is often through trafficking, labour exploitation, domestic abuse, or systemic delays within the immigration system itself. This further punishes victims and survivors, instead of giving them care and protection.
We know that for our clients and communities, it is already extremely difficult and financially unbearable to get permanent settlement in the UK. Extending the path to settlement, tightening eligibility rules, and shortening refugee protection periods would prolong uncertainty, precarity, destitution, and distress.
Despite an overwhelming majority of the public (84% of individuals) opposing these changes in the Government's own public consultation, the Government has refused to listen and is failing in its obligation to protect people's dignity, especially that of migrants. No policy should come at the cost of human dignity and social justice. Instead of shutting people out, pathways to legal status and settlement need to be fair, accessible, and realistic—especially for those already living on the margins.
A fair and rights-based immigration system protects vulnerable people rather than trapping them in precarious conditions. Secure immigration status enables people to build stable lives, support their families and participate fully in society. We urge the Government to listen to the public, reverse course, and instead pursue caring and humane policies that support all of us who call this country home.
What are the announced changes and how will it impact you?
Following a public consultation, the Home Office has announced the following proposed changes to immigration rules:
1. Longer time before you can apply for settlement
10-year route
The standard time you would have to live in the UK to qualify for permanent settlement will double from 5 to 10 years.
5-year route
There are exceptions to the 10-year rule. Some people would have to wait only five years, including:
If you earn at least £50,271 (you have to earn at least that amount for the most recent 3 years before applying)
Care workers who earn at least £25,000 a year and arrived in the UK before May 2025
Some "skilled" public service workers, such as doctors, nurses and teachers
People from Hong Kong who hold British National (Overseas) status
3-year route
If you earn a higher income, then you would only have to wait three years before applying. You have to earn over £125,141 per year, or be what the Government considers "highly skilled" migrants such as those on Global Talent or Innovator Founder visas.
20-year route
The longest route to settlement would be for people who have claimed certain government benefits or breached immigration rules. In that case, you would only be able to settle after at least 20 years.
2. New criteria to qualify for settlement
There would be stricter rules to qualify for settlement. You must:
Have no criminal record
Speak English to a high standard (A-level English)
Not have any debt to the public
Earn at least £12,571 a year for at least three years
How does this affect special routes to settlement?
As far as we are currently aware, the proposed changes do not appear to apply for victims of domestic abuse applying for settlement under the SET(DV) route.
Disclaimer: The above is not immigration advice. We recommend that you seek immigration advice from qualified solicitors or advisors who can help you with your particular case.