Reports on 3 March 2026 indicate that ministers are actively consulting on raising the qualifying period for Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) under the Skilled Worker route from the current five years to ten. A leaked Home Office options paper, confirmed by briefings to the Guardian, argues that extending the wait would act as a further “brake on permanent migration” after recent increases to salary thresholds. For the 350,000 Skilled Worker visa holders presently in the UK — many only months away from reaching the five-year mark — the proposal has caused anxiety. Migrant advocacy group Skilled Migrants Alliance told journalists it is preparing a judicial review should the change be applied retrospectively.
![Skilled workers alarmed as government considers doubling residence needed for UK settlement]()
For individual applicants and HR departments trying to navigate these possible shifts, specialist visa services such as VisaHQ can provide up-to-date guidance on eligibility, timelines and documentation. Their UK portal (https://www.visahq.com/united-kingdom/) tracks real-time policy developments and offers tailored support for extensions, ILR and alternative routes, helping migrants and employers reduce the administrative burden while policy remains in flux.
Case studies highlighted by the newspaper include senior care worker Kushani Suraweera, who said the uncertainty had already forced her to forgo travel to Sri Lanka for a family bereavement because exiting the UK mid-application risked disrupting her status. Business groups are also lobbying. techUK warned that lengthening the route to settlement would undermine the UK’s competitiveness for global talent, particularly in AI and quantum where employers rely on long-term retention. CIPD modelling suggests that, if the ten-year rule were applied immediately, up to 40 per cent of currently sponsored workers would leave the country rather than renew temporary status twice more, intensifying labour shortages in health, social care and digital sectors. Officials insist “no final decision has been taken” and any change would be subject to statutory consultation, but note that similar ‘earned settlement’ reforms have already been introduced for refugees. Mobility teams should therefore scenario-plan for a longer sponsorship horizon, higher legal fees and an uptick in requests for assignment to UK branches of multinational groups via the Global Business Mobility or Expansion Worker routes as alternatives.
For individual applicants and HR departments trying to navigate these possible shifts, specialist visa services such as VisaHQ can provide up-to-date guidance on eligibility, timelines and documentation. Their UK portal (https://www.visahq.com/united-kingdom/) tracks real-time policy developments and offers tailored support for extensions, ILR and alternative routes, helping migrants and employers reduce the administrative burden while policy remains in flux.
Case studies highlighted by the newspaper include senior care worker Kushani Suraweera, who said the uncertainty had already forced her to forgo travel to Sri Lanka for a family bereavement because exiting the UK mid-application risked disrupting her status. Business groups are also lobbying. techUK warned that lengthening the route to settlement would undermine the UK’s competitiveness for global talent, particularly in AI and quantum where employers rely on long-term retention. CIPD modelling suggests that, if the ten-year rule were applied immediately, up to 40 per cent of currently sponsored workers would leave the country rather than renew temporary status twice more, intensifying labour shortages in health, social care and digital sectors. Officials insist “no final decision has been taken” and any change would be subject to statutory consultation, but note that similar ‘earned settlement’ reforms have already been introduced for refugees. Mobility teams should therefore scenario-plan for a longer sponsorship horizon, higher legal fees and an uptick in requests for assignment to UK branches of multinational groups via the Global Business Mobility or Expansion Worker routes as alternatives.
