Summary
The UK government announced that migrants will have to live in the country for 10 years before they can apply for permanent settlement, instead of the current 5 years. This change will affect people already in the UK and those applying for new visas. The new rules are part of a plan to control legal migration and reflect concerns over rising immigration numbers.
Key Facts
- Migrants in the UK need to live in the country for 10 years to apply for permanent settlement, up from 5 years.
- This new rule applies to both current residents and new visa applicants.
- The government plans to conduct a public consultation on these changes.
- Some exceptions allow a 5-year qualification for non-UK dependents of British citizens and for people contributing to the UK economy and society.
- The changes aim to address a significant increase in settlement applications.
- Net migration to the UK reached a record of 906,000 in June 2023.
- Concerns have been raised about how these changes might impact people already in the UK.
- The Migration Observatory noted this makes the UK more restrictive compared to most high-income countries.
