Home secretary’s new ILR rules mean couples such as Felix and Tessa King, from UK and US, face an insecure future
“I
t’s the sickening stress of never quite feeling like you have roots. My marriage feels like it’s on probation, conditional to whether the government puts a stamp on the next renewal. It’s the constant uncertainty that makes me ill,” Felix King said.
King, 31, an IT worker, wants to adopt a child with her American wife, Tessa, 29. But the impact of the home secretary Shabana Mahmood’s “earned settlement” immigration plan means the couple, who live in Cheshire, fear they will never get the chance.
Tessa came to the UK from the US in 2024. She is among about 2 million migrants who have arrived in the UK in the past five years who face a longer wait for settled, indefinite leave to remain (ILR) status in the country, under rule changes expected to begin next month, including for spouses of British nationals.
