Shabana Mahmood pronounces big overhaul of authorized migration guidelines affecting tens of millions

Shabana Mahmood has announced the “biggest overhaul” of legal migration rules in 50 years – with high earners and public workers set to get priority.

The Home Secretary claims the new measures – which will see current permanent settlement requirement ripped up – will reward people who contribute to the economy and play by the rules. The qualifying period for permanent settlement will be between 10 and 15 years – but there will be rewards and penalties.

This means some – including skilled public sector workers, entrepreneurs and high earners – can apply sooner, while others will not be eligible for decades. Under the plans people who arrive on small boat or who rely on benefits face waiting between 20 and 30 years in order to apply, the Home Office said.

The new rules will affect two million people who have arrived since 2021 – but will not affect those who already have settled status. In order to be granted permanent right to settle, a person must have a clean criminal record, speak English as a foreign language up to A-level standard, have no debt to the government, and have paid National Insurance for at least three years.

People who have claimed benefits for a year or more face a 10 year penalty before they can apply under the measures. But migrants can have years shaved off by volunteering, the proposals state.

Ms Mahmood said: “Migration will always be a vital part of Britain’s story. But the scale of arrivals in recent years has been unprecedented.

“To settle in this country forever is not a right, but a privilege. And it must be earned. I am replacing a broken immigration system with one that prioritises contribution, integration and respect for the British sense of fair play.”

The Government says skilled frontline workers like doctors, entrepreneurs and high earners to be fast-tracked – meaning they could apply for permanent settlement after five years.

In a new policy document published on Thursday, the Home Office said low-paid workers – including 616,000 people and their dependants who came on health and social care visas between 2022 and 2024 – would be subject to a 15-year baseline. The Labour government closed this route earlier this year, citing widespread abuse.

Ms Mahmood has announced there will be penalties – meaning migrants who rely on benefits face a 20 year wait for settlement. This is the longest in Europe and quadruple the current period.

And proposals could see migrants only become eligible for benefits and social housing if they first become British citizens.

The Government says doctors and nurses working in the NHS will be able to settle after five years. And “high earners and entrepreneurs” will be able to stay after just three years.

In a statement the Home Office said: “The reforms will build a fairer immigration system for British people, while doing the right thing by migrants who have made their life here and contributed to the UK’s economy and public services.”

Immediate family members of UK citizens, and Hong Kong BN(O)s will retain their existing five-year pathway to settlement.