The UK government has revised its plans to tighten immigration legislation, softening the conditions for obtaining permanent residence for certain categories of foreign workers. However, the core requirement remains unchanged: the standard period of residence in the country for obtaining permanent status will increase from five to ten years.

Financial Times reported this on 2 November, citing updated proposals from the British Home Office.

The changes concern Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) status, which allows foreign nationals to live and work in the UK permanently without visa expiry restrictions. Unlike temporary permission to stay, this status confers long-term residency rights and broader access to public services.

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood presented a revised version of the reform following criticism from members of the ruling Labour Party, trade unions and employers. Particularly strong objections were raised to proposals affecting foreign employees in the UK social care system.

Initially, the government planned to increase the waiting period for permanent residence for low-paid workers to 15 years. However, after consultations, the authorities abandoned this measure for most of the relevant categories.

In particular, around 280,000 social care workers and their families will retain the ability to obtain permanent status after five years of residence in the country. To qualify, employees must meet visa requirements and earn at least £25,000 per year.

The concessions primarily apply to workers who arrived in the UK under the relevant programmes before May 2025. For others, additional mechanisms to extend permission to stay are provided.

The government also dropped the proposal to set separate requirements for each family member's period for obtaining permanent status. Previously, there was a risk that non-working spouses would be forced to wait longer, even if the main applicant had already acquired the right to permanent residence.

The updated reform provides for joint acquisition of status subject to meeting family income requirements.

Expedited procedures will remain for high-paid specialists. Foreign nationals with an annual income from £50,271 will be able to apply for permanent residence after five years, and certain categories of the highest-paid specialists and entrepreneurs after three years.

A shortened period is also envisaged for a number of skilled public service workers, including doctors, nurses and teachers.

At the same time, the authorities intend to tighten general requirements for applicants for permanent residence. Applicants will need to demonstrate sufficient English language proficiency, absence of serious breaches of law and debts to the state, and compliance with national insurance contribution conditions.

The Home Office stresses that the new system should take into account not only the length of a migrant's residence in the country but also their economic contribution.

According to government estimates, of approximately 1.9 million foreign nationals who may apply for permanent residence in 2026–2030, about 500,000 will face an increased waiting period. The rest will be able to use existing or shortened procedures provided by the reform.

The revision of proposals followed public consultations, during which British authorities received more than 200,000 responses from citizens, organisations and business representatives. Employers warned that overly strict restrictions could hamper the attraction and retention of foreign specialists, especially in the healthcare and social care system.

Meanwhile, a reduction in net migration is already occurring. According to official data, net migration to the UK fell to 171,000 in the year ending December 2025, compared with 331,000 a year earlier.

The reform is planned to be implemented in stages in 2027. Until the relevant changes come into force, current rules for obtaining permanent status will apply.

For Ukrainians in the UK, the consequences of the reform will depend on their basis of stay. The changes may be relevant for Ukrainian citizens who have obtained work visas that provide the possibility of subsequent ILR application.

At the same time, special British programmes for Ukrainians, including Homes for Ukraine and Ukraine Permission Extension, do not in themselves provide the right to permanent residence. The period of stay under these programmes should not automatically be equated with the period required to qualify for ILR via a work visa.

The final conditions for applying the new rules to foreign nationals already residing in the UK must be clarified in immigration regulations.

Based on: Financial Times, UK Home Office, The Guardian, UK Government.