UK to tighten migrant rules; keeps BNO-holders' 10-year wait to settle

Many migrants will have to wait as much as a decade before they can settle permanently in the UK as the country tightens immigration rules in 2027.

Key workers and high earners are exempt from the changes, and the five-year settlement rule remains unchanged for British National (Overseas) passport-holders.

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood says people who come to the UK on work visas will have to wait ten years to be granted permanent residency status, which carries the right to work, study, access free health care, and claim benefits.

Those who earn at least 50,000 pounds or 530,000 Hong Kong dollars a year, including doctors and teachers, will only have to wait five years, while immigrants earning above 125,000 pounds or 1.31 million Hong Kong dollars a year can apply after three years.

Additionally, refugees who do not arrive via a safe and legal government-sponsored route will face a wait of up to 20 years, or 30 years if they arrived by small boat.