Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said the right to remain in the UK would no longer be granted automatically but would have to be earned through work and fulfilment of specified conditions.
According to British media reports, social care workers earning £25,000 a year will be eligible to apply for permanent residency after five years, compared with the previous 15-year qualifying period. Mahmood said the concession would also apply to people who arrived in the UK before May 2025.
Under the proposed rules, the qualifying period for other low-income workers will increase to 10 years. Meanwhile, people earning more than £50,000 annually, as well as workers in the health and education sectors, will be able to apply for permanent residency after five years.
The government may reject applications from individuals with criminal records or those who fail to meet requirements relating to English-language proficiency, outstanding debts or National Insurance contributions.
Mahmood said people who entered the UK through legal routes and were granted asylum would be able to seek permanent residency after five years. However, migrants who entered the country illegally would have to wait 20 years before becoming eligible to apply.
British media reports further state that people studying or working in the UK would face a 20-year qualifying period, while those who are neither employed nor enrolled in education could have to wait an additional 10 years, taking the total to 30 years.
The Home Secretary said the right to remain in Britain would no longer be automatic and would instead depend on individuals demonstrating their contribution and meeting the required conditions.
Permanent residency allows a person to stay in the UK indefinitely and gives them the right to work and study. Holders may also apply for public benefits, subject to eligibility requirements, and eventually seek British citizenship if they meet the relevant criteria.
Reports indicate that Mahmood is concerned about the growing number of people qualifying for permanent residency. However, proposals to apply the new rules to migrants already living in the country have reportedly faced criticism from some members of the governing Labour Party.
Housing Secretary Angela Rayner and several Labour MPs have described the proposals as un-British. Mahmood, however, maintains that the reforms are intended to reduce the financial burden on the public.
According to the British Home Office, the country's population increased by 2.6 million between 2021 and 2024. The department has forecast that a further 1.6 million people could settle in the UK between 2026 and 2030.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Andy Burnham said it was difficult to determine whether the level of legal migration was too high or too low. He stated that legal migration had fallen significantly, with net migration standing at 171,000 in 2025 — half the figure recorded a year earlier.