Earned Settlement Confirmed: 3, 5, 10 or 20 Years to ILR (November 2026)
On 2 November 2026, the Home Secretary confirmed how "earned settlement" will work. The standard wait for indefinite leave to remain (ILR) moves from five years to ten. There will be four tracks: 3 years for very high earners, 5 years for people earning over £50,271 or working in listed public-service jobs, 10 years as the default, and 20 years for people with immigration breaches or who have claimed public funds. Doctors, nurses, midwives, pharmacists, dentists, allied health professionals, teachers and social workers are on the five-year list. Time spent on a Student or Graduate visa will no longer count towards settlement.
The policy is confirmed, but it is not yet law. The government's response to the consultation, A Fairer Pathway to Settlement, sets out the design, and a statement of changes to the Immigration Rules is expected in the coming weeks, with implementation likely phased through 2027. The key detail for anyone already in the UK is that the new rules will apply on the date your ILR application is decided, not the date you arrived. This guide explains each track, who lands on which, what it means for healthcare workers, care workers and students, and what to do now.
The short answer
- Default wait for ILR: 10 years, up from 5, for anyone earning less than £50,271 who is not in a listed public-service job.
- 5 years: earnings above £50,271 in three of the last five years, five years in an eligible public-service occupation, or a qualifying British connection.
- 3 years: earnings above £125,141 in three years (or three of the last four), or the "highest talent" group.
- 20 years: immigration breaches or use of public funds; illegal arrival adds a further 10.
- Healthcare professionals keep a 5-year route: doctors, nurses, midwives, pharmacists, dentists, physios, paramedics, radiographers and other allied health professions.
- Student and Graduate visa time stops counting, and the 10-year long residence route closes.
- Everyone also needs B2 English, the Life in the UK test, no government debts and a sustained National Insurance record.
- Not law yet: rules are expected in the coming weeks; the current five-year route still applies until they take effect.
What was announced on 2 November 2026
The earned settlement model was first proposed in the May 2025 Immigration White Paper and put out to consultation from November 2025 to February 2026. The government's response, published alongside a Commons statement on 2 November 2026, confirms the core idea: ten years becomes the baseline, and you "earn" a shorter route through income, public service or a British connection, or lose ground through breaches and benefit use. The Home Secretary's own summary was blunt — everyone not in a shorter category, "including all those earning less than £50,000", will be placed on the ten-year path.
Our earlier guide to the 10-year ILR rule for healthcare workers was written on the consultation proposals. This article reflects the confirmed policy.
The four settlement tracks
| Track | Qualifying period | Who it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Accelerated | 3 years | Earnings above £125,141 for three years (or three of the last four), or the highest-talent group |
| Reduced | 5 years | Earnings above £50,271 in three of the last five years; five years in an eligible public-service occupation; or a British connection |
| Baseline | 10 years | Everyone else, with earnings above £12,571 in five of the last seven years |
| Extended | 20 years | Immigration breaches or use of public funds |
The income figures are not arbitrary: they match the UK's income tax bands. £12,571 is the first pound above the personal allowance, £50,271 the start of the higher rate, and £125,141 the additional rate. Earnings are measured through tax and National Insurance records, so cash-in-hand work or gaps in your record will count against you. Commentary on the response reports that couples will be able to combine earnings to meet a household minimum on the ten-year route; check the final rules for exactly how this works.
Requirements everyone must meet
Whichever track you are on, the response adds minimum conditions for all settlement applications:
- English at B2 — already in the Immigration Rules for settlement applications from 26 March 2027.
- The Life in the UK test.
- No debts to the government, including unpaid NHS charges.
- Stricter criminality rules.
- A sustained National Insurance record showing you have been working and contributing.
Our guide to the B2 English requirement explains which tests and scores meet the level.
Healthcare workers: who keeps five years
The public-service list in the response is broad for health. It includes doctors, every type of registered nurse, midwives, pharmacists, dentists, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, speech and language therapists, radiographers, paramedics, optometrists, podiatrists and psychologists, alongside teachers, head teachers and social workers. Five years working in one of these occupations qualifies you for the five-year route on its own, whatever your salary.
| Role | Likely route | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Registered nurse or midwife (Band 5–6) | 5 years | Listed public-service occupation |
| Doctor (any grade) | 5 years | Listed, and most doctors also pass £50,271 within a few years |
| Pharmacist | 5 years | Listed public-service occupation |
| Dentist, physio, radiographer, paramedic | 5 years | Listed public-service occupations |
| Nursing auxiliary, healthcare assistant (arrived before May 2025) | 5 years, one-off | Transitional protection for below-degree health roles on national pay scales |
| Care worker (arrived before May 2025) | 5 years, conditional | Transitional protection — see below |
| Care worker (switched in after May 2025) | 10 years | Not protected |
For nurses arriving from Pakistan, India, Nigeria or the Philippines, this is the most important line in the response: registered nursing keeps its five-year route. The practical question is evidence. Keep your NMC registration continuous, keep payslips and P60s, and avoid gaps between sponsored jobs. Our guides to the Health and Care Worker visa and Band 5 nurse pay cover the route and the salary.
Care workers
Care workers get a transitional deal, but a narrow one. Those who entered or switched into care work before the May 2025 White Paper keep a five-year route if they meet a £25,000 salary, stay sponsored and employed, and meet the new minimum requirements. If they fall short at five years, they can get a further five-year Health and Care Worker visa as a second chance. Care workers who switched in after May 2025 are on the ten-year route.
A separate change protects workers whose employer loses its licence. From 1 February 2027, a care worker whose sponsor's licence is revoked will have 120 days to find a new job offer, plus 60 days to resolve their status, before the visa is curtailed. Overseas recruitment of care workers remains closed, as it has been since July 2025.
Students and graduates: the biggest losers
Under the current rules, someone who studied in the UK and then moved onto a Skilled Worker visa could count their Student and Graduate time towards the ten-year long residence route. That ends. The response lists the visas whose time will not count towards settlement:
- Student
- Graduate
- High Potential Individual
- Visitor
- Global Business Mobility
- Temporary Work, Youth Mobility and Seasonal Worker
The ten-year long residence route will close. For a typical student — a one-year master's, a Graduate visa, then a Skilled Worker job — the clock towards settlement now starts only on the Skilled Worker visa. On a salary below £50,271 and outside the public-service list, that means ten years from that point. Earning more, or qualifying as a nurse, pharmacist or other listed professional, is now the main way to shorten it. If you are deciding what to study, this makes regulated health and teaching courses relatively more attractive. Our guides to switching from a Student visa to a Skilled Worker visa and the Graduate visa explain how those steps work today.
Skilled Workers already in the UK
There is no blanket protection for people already on the five-year route. Because the rules apply on the date your application is decided, a Skilled Worker who arrived in 2024 expecting ILR in 2029 will be assessed under earned settlement unless they qualify for a shorter track or a transitional category. In practice:
- Earning over £50,271 in three of the last five years: you should still reach settlement at five years.
- In a listed public-service occupation: five years.
- Below £50,271, in another occupation: ten years, unless the final rules add protection.
- First sponsored before April 2024: you can keep extending on the older, lower salary terms until 2035, extended from 2030.
If you are within reach of five years before the new rules take effect, and you meet the current requirements, applying under the existing rules as soon as you are eligible is the safest course. The current Skilled Worker salary rules are set out in our guide to the Skilled Worker salary threshold.
When the new rules start
No statement of changes has been laid yet. Legal commentators expect the rules to be laid in the coming weeks, with implementation phased from April 2027; others read the response as rules in December 2026 and a rollout across 2027. Until new rules are laid and in force, the existing five-year Skilled Worker and Health and Care Worker routes still apply, and anyone who qualifies under them can apply now.
| Date | What happens | Status |
|---|---|---|
| 2 November 2026 | Government response and Commons statement | Published |
| Late 2026 (expected) | Statement of changes laid | Awaited |
| 1 February 2027 | 120-day protection for care workers whose sponsor loses its licence | Announced |
| 26 March 2027 | B2 English for settlement | Already in the rules |
| From April 2027 (expected) | Earned settlement phased in | Awaited |
What to do now
- Work out your track. Check your occupation code against the public-service list and add up your taxable earnings for the last five years.
- Apply early if you can. If you will reach five years under the current rules before the new ones take effect, have your documents ready to apply on the first eligible day.
- Protect your record. Avoid gaps in sponsorship, overstaying, NHS debts and anything that could count as a breach or public-funds use.
- Book the tests. Life in the UK and B2 English are needed whatever track you are on.
- Keep evidence. P60s, payslips, HMRC records and regulator registrations will be the core evidence for earnings and occupation.
Frequently asked questions
Is the 10-year ILR rule now law?
Not yet. The government confirmed the earned settlement policy on 2 November 2026, but the Immigration Rules have not been changed. A statement of changes is expected in the coming weeks, with implementation likely phased through 2027. Until then, the current five-year routes still apply.
Do nurses still get ILR after 5 years?
Yes, under the confirmed policy. Registered nurses of every type, along with midwives, doctors, pharmacists, dentists and allied health professionals, are on the public-service list, which qualifies for settlement after five years in the occupation regardless of salary.
Does time on a Student or Graduate visa count towards ILR?
Under earned settlement, no. Student, Graduate, High Potential Individual, Visitor and several temporary routes will not count towards settlement, and the ten-year long residence route will close. Your settlement clock would start on a qualifying work visa.
Will the new rules apply to people already in the UK?
Yes, in most cases. The rules will apply on the date your settlement application is decided, so there is no blanket protection for people already here. Some groups get transitional arrangements, including care workers and below-degree health workers who arrived before May 2025.
What salary do I need for 5-year settlement?
Earnings above £50,271 in three of the last five years, unless you qualify through a public-service occupation or a British connection. Earnings above £125,141 for three years can qualify for settlement after three years.
What happens to care workers on the new rules?
Care workers who started before the May 2025 White Paper keep a five-year route if they earn £25,000, stay sponsored and meet the new minimum requirements, with a further five-year visa as a second chance if they fall short. Those who switched in after May 2025 are on the ten-year route.
Earned settlement will change the plan for almost every migrant worker and student in the UK, but the details that decide your case — your occupation code, your earnings record and when the rules take effect — are specific to you. If you want your route to settlement mapped out under both the current and the incoming rules, book a free consultation. Healthcare professionals can also start with our overview of the Health and Care Worker visa.