What the government announced
The new "earned settlement" model changes how long migrants wait before they can apply to settle. According to the Home Office, the wait will depend on contribution and character:
- the highest earners will be able to settle within 3 years;
- people earning more than £50,271, and some public service workers such as doctors, nurses and teachers, after 5 years;
- everyone else after a new default of 10 years;
- people who have breached the immigration rules only after at least 20 years.
Everyone applying will also need to meet four conditions the Home Office calls non-negotiable: a clean criminal record, spoken English to a high standard (equivalent to A-level English as a foreign language), no debt owed to the taxpayer, and a record of sustained National Insurance contributions. The government's consultation response also lists the Life in the UK Test among the mandatory requirements.
People who already have settled status keep it.
The deal for care workers
The Home Secretary said many of the 200,000-plus consultation responses focused on social care workers. Between 2022 and 2025, 250,000 people and their dependants arrived on, or switched into, the social care route.
- Five-year path kept: care workers who met the conditions of their visa and earned at least £25,000 a year working in social care will be able to settle on their existing five-year path.
- A second chance for the rest: around a quarter of those who came between 2022 and 2025 didn't meet their visa conditions. They will be offered a new five-year care visa, not tied to their old employer, and can apply to settle once it is completed. The Home Secretary said this lets workers with rogue sponsors break away from them.
- Help to move: the government said it will help workers find a job with a legitimate provider, and give them longer to do so before their existing visa is curtailed.
- Who the transitional terms cover: only people who joined before the Immigration White Paper was published in May 2025. A similar arrangement will apply to public service workers in some healthcare and education roles.
The Home Office also said 1,800 employers have had their right to sponsor foreign workers removed.
What isn't decided yet
There is no start date. The government says it will turn the framework into detailed rules, and publish technical guidance and a full impact assessment before the changes take effect. Details such as exactly how "met their visa conditions" and the £25,000 will be assessed are expected in that guidance.
What this means for your service
- Expect questions from staff. Sponsored care workers will want to know which group they fall into. Point them to GOV.UK and to qualified advice rather than giving an opinion.
- Don't give immigration advice yourself. Immigration advice is regulated in the UK. Giving it without being qualified or registered (with the OISC) can be a criminal offence.
- Keep employment records accurate and complete. If salary and visa compliance decide a worker's route, their payslips, hours, role and dates will matter. Make sure your records match what was agreed on the certificate of sponsorship.
- Recruitment: if workers from revoked sponsors move onto the new care visa without being tied to an employer, legitimate providers may be able to recruit them. Wait for the detailed rules before relying on this.
- Watch for the guidance. Nothing changes for your sponsored staff until the detailed rules are published.
Kiwi isn't an immigration adviser. For your own situation, speak to an OISC-registered adviser or an immigration solicitor.
Sources
- Home Office, "Home Secretary unveils new rules for migrants settling in the UK" (2 Nov 2026): https://www.gov.uk/government/news/home-secretary-unveils-new-rules-for-migrants-settling-in-the-uk (checked 3 Nov 2026)
- Home Office, "Earned settlement" oral statement to Parliament (2 Nov 2026): https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/home-secretary-earned-settlement-statement (checked 3 Nov 2026)
- Home Office, "Earned settlement" consultation outcome and government response (2 Nov 2026): https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/earned-settlement (checked 3 Nov 2026)
- Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner (regulates immigration advisers): https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/office-of-the-immigration-services-commissioner (checked 3 Nov 2026)
- Immigration and Asylum Act 1999, section 91 (offences): https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1999/33/section/91 (checked 3 Nov 2026)
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