The proposal would replace a five-year wait and cover arrivals from 2021 onwards, potentially extending the route to permanent residence for workers already in the UK.
The UK government is considering increasing foreign workers’ wait for permanent residence from five to 15 years, under proposals reported by the Guardian on 21 October 2026. The proposed change would apply to people arriving from 2021 onwards, bringing workers already living in the UK within its scope.
The status, formally called indefinite leave to remain, is permanent residence. Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood’s proposal would add ten years to the waiting period, but the government has not finalised the rules.
Whether the longer wait would apply retrospectively remains unsettled. The government declined to rule out changing that part of the proposal and said it had consulted on transition arrangements for people already in the UK who had not received settled status.
Mahmood had previously indicated that care workers might be exempted, but no exemption has been confirmed. The Home Office said an exemption would lead to an exodus of foreign workers from the care sector once they were no longer bound by their visa terms.
The Home Office described its aim as making settlement something that must be earned rather than automatic. The government said Mahmood was considering more than 200,000 consultation responses before finalising the reforms. That decision will determine which measures proceed and how people already in the UK are treated.
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