Alex Piletska writes legal briefing on the ‘Earned Settlement’ consultation for Free Movement

10 December 2025

Senior Associate Alex Piletska has written a briefing for immigration practitioners resource Free Movement on the implications of the Home Secretary’s “earned settlement” proposals and what they might mean in practice.

The Home Office released a policy document outlining the proposed framework of “earned settlement” on 20 November 2025, ahead of a government consultation on the topic. This redrafts what for most people has been a predictable five-year route to settlement. The old ten-year long residence route is to be abolished too. Instead, a baseline of ten years in the UK is proposed, along with other qualifying stipulations. This period may be shortened by those meeting some criteria, such as volunteering or paying high taxes. It is also suggested that the qualifying period for settlement may also become much longer for those who are in middle skilled roles (below RQF6), have received welfare payments or overstayed.

“The proposes changes represent the biggest overhaul of the immigration system since the Immigration Act 1971. Almost all of the changes will make life worse not just for immigrants but also the British citizens who love them, the universities that teach them and the businesses that employ them,” writes Alexandra Piletska in a briefing for Free Movement on the consequences of the proposals.

You can read more about what is proposed here. We would urge everybody to respond to the public consultation which ends on 12 February 2026 as the proposals are radical and may affect you, your employees, loved one and friends. You can read more about how to respond to the consultation and what questions mean here. There is a link there to the online form which is mainly multiple-choice with the opportunity to comment on the proposals which would make a simple five-year route to settlement for many more precarious and expensive.

We expect the relevant statement of changes of the Immigration Rules, which will contain many or most of the intended changes in full, to be published around March 2026 for implementation starting in April. Until then, everyone worried about these proposals should respond to the consultation.

You can contact us too using the form below if you have any concerns.