The British government confirmed on Monday that it would tighten the requirements for foreign nationals living legally in the country to obtain permanent residency, with many facing a wait of at least 10 years before becoming eligible, up from the current five, AFP reports.
The reform had been announced in November 2025 by Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood as part of the Labour government’s measures to curb both legal and illegal immigration amid the rise of the anti-immigration Reform UK party.
On Monday, Shabana Mahmood outlined some easing of the rules for care workers compared with the original draft, which some Labour MPs had deemed too restrictive.
“Permanent resident status confers one of the most precious rights this country can offer,” Shabana Mahmood told Parliament, noting that she herself is the daughter of Pakistani immigrants from the Kashmir region. “The right to live in this country forever must now be earned. It will no longer be automatic”, she added.
From now on, applicants will generally have to demonstrate ten years of residence in the UK to qualify for permanent residency, up from the current five. The reform will also apply to foreign nationals already living in the UK.
There will, however, be exceptions.
The waiting period will be shortened for foreign nationals earning more than £125,141 a year (over €150,000); they will become eligible after just three years.
Those earning more than £50,271 (€60,300), as well as doctors, nurses and teachers, will remain eligible for permanent residency after five years, as will refugees who have arrived through “safe and legal routes”, such as Ukrainians. The same will apply to care workers if they earn £25,000 a year.
For everyone else, the waiting period will be extended to ten years—and to as long as 20 years for those who have received welfare benefits or for refugees who arrived in the UK after crossing the English Channel illegally. For some refugees who arrived in small boats and subsequently neither found work nor pursued education, the waiting period will be 30 years.
Details HERE