Britain announces new settlement rules, general migrants to wait ten years

The British government has announced major changes to the rules for granting permanent residency to people arriving from abroad. According to the new 'earned settlement' model presented in parliament, migrants will no longer automatically get the right to settle after five years, but it will depend on their work and contribution.

According to the British Home Office, the highest-earning migrants will be eligible to settle in just three years. Along with this, those earning more than 50,271 pounds and public service workers such as doctors, nurses, and teachers will be able to settle after five years. For other general workers, the time to settle has been set to ten years.

The government has made separate rules for care workers. Care workers fulfilling visa conditions and earning a minimum annual salary of 25,000 pounds will be able to settle in five years. Workers not meeting this condition will have to obtain a new five-year visa and can apply for settlement only after completing a total of ten years.

Under the new policy, four main conditions have been made mandatory for settlement. The applicant's criminal record must be completely clean, they must have high-level English proficiency, no debts to the public purse, and consistent contributions to National Insurance are required.

Those violating visa rules will have to wait at least 20 years to settle. In addition, an extra ten-year ban will apply to people arriving via small boats or illegally, which could make it take up to 30 years for them to settle. Refugees arriving via approved routes will be able to settle after five years.

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood stated that until now permanent residency was granted almost automatically, but now this right must be earned. Prime Minister Andy Burnham said the new arrangement honors workers who follow the rules and contribute to the country's development.

According to the government, due to the new rules, more than five hundred thousand people will take more than five years to settle. However, those who already have permanent residency will not have their status affected.

Key developments

• Higher earners will be able to settle in three years and doctors, nurses, and teachers in five years
• The settlement period for general migrant workers has been increased from five to ten years
• Four conditions including a clean criminal record and better English will be mandatory
• Care workers earning less than 25 thousand pounds annually will take ten years to settle
• Those arriving illegally may have to wait up to 30 years to settle