A Fairer Pathway to Settlement

The Government has published a statement and launched a consultation on earned settlement, setting out a 'time adjustment’ model, meaning the qualifying period will be adjusted from a baseline qualifying period, depending on the individual circumstances. For most people, this qualifying period will change from 5 to 10 years. There are also minimum mandatory requirements that all applicants must meet to get settled status. A consultation is now open until 12 February 2026.