Under the government's plans, the standard length of time migrants will have to live in the UK to qualify for permanent settlement will double from five to 10 years.

Under this 10-year pathway, applicants must have earned at least £12,571 for five of the seven years immediately before being granted settlement.

However, there will be a shorter qualifying period of five years for certain groups, including:

People who earned at least £50,271 for three of five years immediately before applying for settlement

Care workers who earned at least £25,000 a year while meeting their visa conditions and arrived in the UK before May 2025

"Skilled" public service workers in health and education, such as doctors, nurses, teachers and social workers

Other health and education public service workers who fall below this skill level, for example nursing auxiliaries and teaching assistants, if they arrived in the UK before May 2025

People from Hong Kong who hold British National (Overseas) status

People earning over £125,141 a year, as well as "highly skilled" migrants such as those on Global Talent or Innovator Founder visas, will qualify after three years.

Migrants who have claimed certain benefits or breached immigration rules will only be able to settle after at least 20 years.

Adults with a criminal record will be refused settlement, with discretion to refuse cases where the offence was committed when the applicant was under 18.

To qualify for settlement, migrants will generally also have to meet other conditions, including:

Speak English to a high standard

Owe no debt to the government, such as unpaid taxes

Earn at least £12,571 a year for at least three years, aligned with the threshold for paying income tax

A partner who arrives with someone who then applies for ILR will be able to settle at the same time, as long as they meet the relevant requirements.

However, a partner who joins later will need to complete the same qualifying residence period before they are eligible for settlement.

Eligible couples will be able to combine their earnings to meet the minimum income requirement.

The household income threshold will be £25,142 – twice the individual minimum income requirement.

Children under 18 will continue to be able to settle with their parents.

They will be exempt from the income, government debt, English language and Life in the UK test requirements, but will remain subject to the relevant suitability and criminality requirements.

Young adults aged 18 to 24, who remain dependant on their family, will also continue to be able to settle alongside them.

They will be expected to meet all the adult mandatory requirements but not the individual income requirement.

Someone who is aged 25 or over when their family becomes eligible for settlement will be expected to qualify independently.

Eligible partners, parents and children of British citizens will continue to qualify for settlement after five years.

Extracted and lightly reformatted for readability. · Source: pt