𝓤𝓷𝓲𝓽𝓮𝓭 𝓝𝓮𝔀𝓼

A petition to restrict benefits for migrants is the largest on the UK Parliament website, having garnered more than 240,000 signatures. Supporters of the proposals put forward by Pulasthi Weerasinghe – 242,204 at the time of writing – demand that the Government keeps the current five-year route to Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR), an immigration status giving non-UK nationals the right to live, work and study in the county permanently without time restrictions, and “restrict access to government benefits for new ILR holders” by ensuring individuals are financially independent.

The Labour Government is consulting on extending the ILR qualifying period – continuous, lawful residence on a eligible visa route, such as skilled worker or family – to 10 years for most work visa routes in autumn. The Home Office has proposed increasing the baseline qualifying period for settlement to 15 years for those on the skilled worker route in a role below RQF level six – the equivalent to a bachelor’s degree.

The petition added: “Extending the ILR route to 10 years would unfairly affect thousands of Skilled Worker visa holders who moved to the UK based on existing 5-year rules, disrupting their plans, families, and financial stability.

“The government should keep the 5-year ILR route and ensuring new ILR holders demonstrate financial independence before accessing public benefits. We think this protect fairness and stability.”

The Government has responded to the petition, which it is obliged to do if one reaches 10,000 signatures.

The Home Office wrote: “As set out in the Immigration White Paper, the default qualifying period doubles to 10 years. We welcome views on other measures, including access to benefits, via the earned settlement consultation.

“Settlement in the UK is a privilege and not a right. It is a prerequisite for becoming a British citizen and brings lifelong benefits. It marks an important step in integrating and contributing to local communities and the wider country.

“Under the current system, individuals qualify for settlement primarily on the basis of the length of time they have spent in the UK alongside a knowledge of life test which is used to verify knowledge of British customs, history, traditions, laws and political system.

“These criteria alone do not reflect our strongly held belief that people should contribute to the economy and society before gaining settled status in the UK. Moreover, they fail to promote integration, which limits the wider benefit from long term migration into the UK and increases pressure on public services.

“We therefore intend to fundamentally reform our settlement rules for the first time in over 50 years. The Immigration White Paper, published on 12 May 2025, set out that the default qualifying period for settlement would be increased from five to ten years. It also included proposals for a new ‘earned settlement’ model which are subject to consultation.”