Earned Settlement Consultation
The Home Secretary has announced changes to the pathway to settlement and launched a consultation on these, including how the government could implement them. The government is concerned that lower-wage migrant workers, including those on the Health and Care visa, are less likely to make a net fiscal contribution over the long-term.
The government is consulting on:
- Increasing the default qualifying period for settlement from 5 years to 10 years, as set out in the Immigration White Paper Restoring Control over the Immigration System.
- Increasing the qualifying period for settlement to 15 years for those on the Skilled Worker and Health and Care routes in a role below RQF level 6 (this includes care workers and senior care workers).
- Introducing a “No Recourse to Public Funds” (NRPF) condition at settlement, aligning with existing visa conditions.
- Earned settlement criteria, requiring migrants to demonstrate sustained good conduct, contribution, and integration rather than automatic entitlement after a fixed period.
The government consultation is open until 11:59pm on 12th February 2026. Click here to submit a response.
The Homecare Association will respond on behalf of members. If you would like to support our thinking, please email [email protected].