Days after announcing a shake-up of U.K. asylum law, the country’s Home Secretary, Shabana Mahmood, released proposed changes to the routes for settling in the U.K. (also known as ‘settlement’ , ‘Indefinite Leave to Remain’ or ILR). Under the proposed changes, high earners and entrepreneurs would qualify in three years, some in five years, while the default would be ten years, with some individuals having to wait 20 or even 30 years to settle.
Changes to the law, along the proposed lines, will impact tens of thousands of Indians who have been the largest group of non-EU long-term migrants to the U.K. since at least 2019.
The Labour government of Keir Starmer had already announced that it would run a public consultation on a new contributions based system for ILR at the heart of which is a doubling of the default qualifying period from five to 10 years.
The consultation, which began on Thursday (November 20) is open until February 12. The government called it the “biggest shake-up of the legal migration system in nearly half a century”.
High earners who make more than GBP 125,140 and entrepreneurs on the Global Talent and Innovator Founder visas would be eligible to settle in three years under the proposals. Those who earn at least GBP 50,270 per year will be eligible in five years.
