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UK permanent residency gets harder too: 5 years becomes 10 years, and the 10-year route via study is scrapped outright

2 days ago

Seems like no one has posted this yet? I had AI summarize it.

On November 2, the UK government published its Earned Settlement reform framework:

General work visa: Permanent residency extended from 5 years to 10 years.

10-year long residence: Plans to abolish the standalone Long Residence route; time on student visas, Graduate Visas, etc. can in principle no longer be counted toward the 10 years needed for permanent residency.

High earners: Those with an annual salary of £50,271, as well as some healthcare and education roles, may still be able to get permanent residency in 5 years; some highly skilled workers could have it shortened to 3 years.

People already in the UK: They may also be affected; the specific transitional protections have not yet been decided.

Note: The policy framework has been published, but it has not yet been formally written into the immigration rules, and the effective date has not been determined.

The most brutal case is probably those who have already studied for eight years — UK high school + UK undergraduate + UK master's — and planned to reach ten years by combining study and work.

If all the years they've accumulated so far end up completely wasted, that would be something.

Sources:

UK government Home Office (2026.11.02)

A Fairer Pathway to Settlement — the government's official response

Focus on page 11 (new permanent residency time requirements) and pages 19–20 (Long Residence and temporary visas).

BBC News (2026.11.02)

Mahmood scraps settlement plans for migrant care workers

UK permanent residency gets harder too: 5 years becomes 10 years, and the 10-year route via study is scrapped outright

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Comments (5)

蓝朵1 day ago

So does the eight years of student visa time already accrued count as transitional protection or not?

俊马奔腾1 day ago

The phrase "not yet written into the Immigration Rules" is actually a key point: between the announcement of a framework and its formal implementation, there is usually consultation, parliamentary scrutiny and detailed transitional provisions, and the wording of the rules may also change. So planning for the worst case is fine for now, but don't treat it as a settled conclusion that is already in force—it's best to keep an eye on the publication date of the statement of changes to the Immigration Rules.

伊猫1 day ago

The threshold of just over fifty thousand a year may not look high, but most entry-level jobs for new graduates don't reach it—which effectively pushes the time cost back by several more years.

杠魔1 day ago

If you've just started school and money is tight at home, don't take unnecessary courses just to meet the time requirement.

RuiSky15 hours ago

For those already studying, the key thing to watch is how the transitional protections are drafted, not the broad ten-year figure. Take consecutive student visas such as UK high school plus undergraduate plus master's: if the policy only protects people who have already submitted a permanent residence application, then those currently studying will largely fall through the cracks; if the line is drawn by the date of the first visa or by a particular rule-change date, the outcome will be completely different. In addition, whether the £50,271 threshold is based on nominal salary or on job code will also affect whether people outside healthcare and education can judge their own chances.