UK unveils major migration shake-up, pushing 10-year settlement wait and harsher penalties

UK on Thursday unveiled plans to double the waiting period for most foreign workers seeking settled status, extending the timeline from five to 10 years as part of a sweeping overhaul of the country’s legal migration system. The Labour government said doctors and nurses would be exempt, while some migrants, including those who arrived illegally, could face waits of up to 30 years.

The announcement comes amid an increasingly heated political debate on immigration, which has shaped British policy for more than a decade. Successive governments have tightened visa rules, raised salary thresholds, and sought to curb overall arrivals in response to voter concerns about pressure on public services.

The biggest shake-up in decades

The Labour government, trailing in polls behind the anti-immigration Reform UK party, described the plan as the “biggest shake-up of the legal migration system in nearly half a century.”

Under the proposal:

• High earners and entrepreneurs could secure a settlement in three years.

• NHS doctors and nurses will continue to qualify in five years, avoiding disruptions for a health system where over two-thirds of doctors and nearly half of nurses are internationally trained.

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• Migrants relying on state benefits would face a 20-year wait, which the government said would be the longest in Europe.

Unions have already signalled concern. The main nursing union warned that extending the waiting period could lead to up to 50,000 migrant nurses leaving the UK.

Harshest penalties for illegal arrivals

The government said the harshest restrictions would target those “exploiting the system.” Individuals who arrive illegally or overstay visas may need to wait up to 30 years before applying for settled status.

Without these reforms, the government estimates 1.6 million people would have become eligible for settlement between 2026 and 2030.

The announcement follows last week’s asylum policy overhaul, which pledged to make refugee status temporary and accelerate deportations for illegal arrivals.

(With inputs from Reuters)