After the statement in Parliament on Monday, the Home Office released a consultation document which you can access via the Free Movement website (see below), and also the Government website, at the end of this post.
Please read and complete the consultation document. Our voices must be heard!
Free Movement: Home Secretary opens consultation on âearned settlementâ
The consultation on extending the period people in certain immigration routes will need to wait before being able to apply for settlement (also referred to as indefinite leave to remain) has been opened. The Home Secretary also made a statement in the House of Commons. The changes were first trailed in the immigration white paper in May.
The consultation document is called âA Fairer Pathway to Settlement: A statement and accompanying consultation on earned settlementâ. The consultation is open until 11.59pm on 12 February 2026. The Home Secretary said today that the intention is to start implementing the changes in the April 2026 statement of changes.
In the foreword, the Home Secretary says that âIt is clear the pace and scale of migration in this country has not just been unprecedented but also destabilisingâ and refers to an âopen border experimentâ and says that âFraud, as any constituency Member of Parliament can tell you, was rifeâ. Putting aside these inaccurate and offensive comments, letâs move on to the proposals.
Read more here: https://freemovement.org.uk/home-secretary-opens-consultation-on-earned-settlement/
20 November 2025: Gov.uk: A Fairer Pathway to Settlement: statement and accompanying consultation on earned settlement
Summary: The government is consulting on how the current settlement system should be reformed and how those reforms should be implemented.
Consultation description
Settlement refers to a personâs right to live in the UK permanently without any immigration restrictions. It is also known as Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR).
The 2025 UK Immigration White Paper, Restoring Control over the Immigration System, introduced significant reforms to how migrants can settle in the UK.
Settlement will no longer be granted automatically after a fixed period. Instead, migrants will need to earn it by demonstrating sustained good conduct, contribution and integration.
This consultation closes at
The Consultation form is here: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/earned-settlement