Overview
- Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood unveiled the proposal at Labour’s conference in Liverpool, saying applicants must earn the right to settle.
- Eligibility would require a job, a clean criminal record, national insurance contributions, a high level of English, no welfare benefits, and local volunteering.
- The government has already extended the minimum residence for settlement from five to ten years.
- The package remains a proposal subject to consultation and potential legislation before any changes take effect.
- Reform UK has vowed to abolish permanent residency and impose five‑year visa renewals, a plan Prime Minister Keir Starmer called immoral and racist, as 163,000 gained settlement in 2024 and over 33,000 small‑boat arrivals have been recorded this year.