High-earning workers will be able to get UK settlement in 3 years
The Home Office has confirmed that it will offer faster settlement times to immigrants based on how much they earn.
In a consultation response published on Monday 2 November, the government confirmed that under its planned earned settlement rules, applicants will need to demonstrate a minimum level of economic contribution.
Applicants must meet a threshold of £12,571 a year for at least three years, aligned to the basic rate of income tax.
Higher earnings can lead to faster settlement:
- Three years for the highest economic contributors (earning at least £125,141, in line with the additional rate of income tax);
- Five years for higher earners (earning at least £50,271, in line with higher rate of income tax); and
- 10 years as the default for those making a sustained contribution of £12,571.
The earnings thresholds will remain linked to the relevant income tax thresholds and will therefore move in line with any future changes to those thresholds, the Home Office said.
This ensures that permanent settlement reflects sustained economic participation, while setting the minimum threshold at a level that remains achievable for people working parttime or in lower-paid employment.
Exemptions will apply where it would be inappropriate to require someone to demonstrate a minimum income requirement of £12,571.
This will include children, people aged 65 and over, and those unable to meet the requirement because of a physical or mental condition.
How earnings will be assessed
The government said it recognises that people’s earnings do not always follow a steady path. Someone may have a period of lower earnings because they take maternity or parental leave, have caring responsibilities, or experience ill health.
As a result, it would not be fair for a temporary period away from work to automatically put someone on a longer pathway to settlement.
The Home Office said it will therefore assess earnings over an extended period and allow applicants to rely on the years in which they met the relevant earnings threshold. It calls this its “best years” approach:
For the three-year pathway, applicants must meet the £125,141 earnings threshold in three of the four years immediately before applying for settlement. This means that one of those four years can be below the threshold.
For the five-year pathway, applicants must meet the £50,271 earnings threshold in three of the five years immediately before applying for settlement. This means that two of those five years can be below the threshold.
For the ten-year pathway, applicants must meet the £12,571 earnings threshold in the five of the seven years immediately before applying for settlement5. This means that two of those seven years can be below the threshold.
“For example, someone on the standard 10-year pathway earns above £12,571 for three years, then takes two years of maternity leave during which her earnings fall below the threshold,” the Home Office said.
“She then returns to work and earns above £12,571 for a further two years. In total, she has met the earnings threshold in five of the seven years immediately before applying for settlement, so she meets the contribution requirement.”
Speaking in parliament on Monday, Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood confirmed that the full list of legislative changes would be detailed in December and would begin to take affect in 2027.
