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Closed Retain 5 Year ILR & Citizenship Route, Delay Public Funds Access Until Year 10

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Retain the 5-year path to ILR and British citizenship for Skilled Worker migrants, but extend the no recourse to public funds period to 10 years. We believe this would balance and uphold the UK’s promise to migrants to make it their home via 5-year ILR path while easing pressure on public resources.

We believe extending the ILR period to 10 years breaks trust with Skilled Workers who built and planned their lives around the 5 year route. To address public spending concerns, we suggest delaying access to public funds for a total of 10 years for those who have newly obtained ILR or citizenship. We believe this would preserve the original promise, deters misuse, and maintain public confidence. We believe it would also protect genuine migrants from reactive policy changes driven by rising net migration and spending pressures.

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  • Related activity

    Reforms to the settlement system: Share your views with the Government

    The Government has recently launched a public consultation on reforming the current settlement system.

    Settlement refers to a person’s right to live in the UK permanently without any immigration restrictions. It is also known as Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR).

    Respond to the consultation by 11.59pm on 12 February 2026.

    The consultation includes questions on the Government's proposed Earned Settlement framework.

    More information

    The consultation is being run by the Home Office. The Home Office is the lead government department for immigration and passports, drugs policy, crime, counter-terrorism and police.

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  • Petition published

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    If this petition gets 10,000 signatures, government will respond to it.

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    This petition will stay open until 24 January 2026.