The UK Government’s Response to the Petition to Keep the 5-Year ILR Qualifying Period in Place
A petition was started to urge the UK government not to increase the qualifying term for British citizenship or Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) from five to ten years after the Immigration White Paper was published on May 12, 2025.
Moreover 100,000 people signed the petition, exceeding the number needed for a formal government response.
The administration clarified its plans to lower net migration while restating its current stance in its response. Increasing the qualifying term for ILR and citizenship—at least for some groups—seems to be a key component of the proposed revisions.
Official reaction from the government.
The earned settlement proposals will go through a formal consultation process, just like a number of other policies in the Immigration White Paper, and we appreciate this addition to that process.
Earned Settlement recommendations are included in the Immigration White Paper, which was released on May 12, 2025.
Becoming a British citizen requires settling in the UK, which has long-term advantages. In order to integrate and contribute to local communities and the nation at large, settlement is also a crucial step.
In 2024, there were 162,000 settlement grants, a 35% increase over 2023. This increase is a result of more people entering the UK between 2015 and 2019 on entry clearance visas who are now eligible for citizenship and settlement. As things stand, the exceptionally high level of net migration between 2019 and 2024 is anticipated to make more persons eligible for settlement and eventually citizenship during the next years.
The percentage of persons who eventually seek settlement varies significantly depending on the type of visa they were originally given to enter the UK. For example, by 2023, 18% of people who arrived on work visas between 2010 and 2018 had won settlement, compared to 75% of those who arrived on family visas.
The idea that relocating to the UK is a privilege rather than a right has existed for a very long time. The current system mostly qualifies applicants for settlement based on their length of stay in the UK and a knowledge of life test that measures their familiarity with British politics, laws, customs, history, and traditions.
These criteria by themselves do not support integration, which reduces the overall benefits of long-term migration into the UK and puts more strain on public services. They also do not reflect our deeply held belief that individuals should contribute to the economy and society before obtaining settled status in our nation.
Therefore, by extending the Points-Based System and raising the typical qualifying term for settlement to 10 years, we want to update our settlement regulations.
Depending on their contributions to the economy and society of the United Kingdom, individuals will be able to shorten the qualifying term for settlement.
We will maintain current protections to protect the vulnerable, such as settlement rights for victims of domestic abuse and violence, and we will continue to provide a shorter pathway to settlement for non-UK dependents of British citizens up to five years, provided they have complied with their requirements.
Later this year, we will hold consultations to discuss the specifics of the proposed policy changes, including any suggested transitional plans for individuals who are currently in the UK. These are significant adjustments. In that consultation, we will pay close attention to what people have to say since we understand how important this subject is to them.
We appreciate the petitioners expressing their opinions on this announcement before to the consultation process, and we want to hear from them once they have had a chance to thoroughly review the final proposals. – Home Office
“Do not apply the proposed 10-year ILR rule to existing Skilled Worker visa holders,” the petition urged the government to take into consideration. For individuals who are currently in the UK on this visa, maintain the 5-year ILR route. Any modifications should only be applied to new applicants as of the implementation date. In search of greater possibilities, many skilled visa holders came to the UK, where they have paid taxes, supported vital industries like engineering, healthcare, and health, and contributed to the country’s economy. We believe that altering ILR regulations in the middle of a travel is unjust and stressful for families. Only future skilled worker arrivals should be subject to the 10-year limit; those who are already establishing themselves here under the current system should not.