Protect Legal Migrants: do not implement the 10-Year ILR proposal
This petition gathered 106,570 signatures between 23 May 2025 and 23 November 2025, according to the Parliament petitions site. The Government responded on 4 December 2025. MPs debated it in Westminster Hall on 2 February 2026.
The petition
The petition's creator is not named in the Petitions site's published record. Quoted in full from the UK Parliament petitions site.
Protect Legal Migrants: do not implement the 10-Year ILR proposal
We urge the UK Government to scrap plans to extend ILR from 5 to 10 years. We feel that legal migrants, especially care workers, followed the rules and built lives here under the 5-year promise. We think they support vital services and deserve fairness, not shifting rules.
We think that retroactively extending ILR from 5 to 10 years is unfair. We are concerned that it creates insecurity for legal migrants, disrupts vital sectors like health and care, and adds financial strain. We urge the UK Government to withdraw this proposal, protect visa renewals, and prioritise tackling illegal migration. Do not penalise those who follow the law, support the economy, and uphold British values. We think legal migration must be protected, not discouraged.
The Government's response
The Government published its response on 4 December 2025; the petitions site lists the Home Office as responsible. Its summary:
The earned settlement consultation is seeking views on whether the increase in settlement qualifying period will apply to people already in the UK. No decision has been taken on this point.
The opening 298 words of the 588-word response:
The Government is grateful for the vital contribution legal migrants make to the UK, including the dedication of overseas health and care workers who deliver high quality care and strengthen our public services.
This issue has already been the subject of previous petitions and parliamentary debate earlier this year, including the e-petition ‘Keep the 5-Year ILR pathway for existing Skilled Worker visa holders’ (Petition 727360) and ‘Keep 5-year ILR terms to Hong Kong British National (Overseas) visas’ (Petition 727356), which was debated in Westminster Hall on 8 September 2025. The Home Affairs Committee launched an inquiry into ‘Routes to Settlement’ on 21 October 2025.
As set out by the Home Secretary in ‘A Fairer Pathway to Settlement’, the Government is proposing a new, contribution-based settlement model. Under these proposals, the standard qualifying period for settlement will be 10 years. However, individuals will have the opportunity to reduce this period if they demonstrate strong contributions to the UK’s economy and society for example, through sustained employment, National Insurance contributions, English language ability, a clean criminal record, and positive community engagement. Those who have been non-compliant may be required to wait longer or be refused settlement.
These are proposals only. No final decisions have been made, and we launched a consultation on the earned settlement proposals on 20 November 2025. The consultation will run for 12 weeks (until 12 February 2026) and is open to all interested parties, including migrants, employers, representative bodies, and members of the public. Its purpose is to gather a wide range of views and evidence on the proposed changes, including the impact on those already in the UK and the practicalities of implementation. The consultation is, in particular, seeking views on whether there should be transitional arrangements for those already on a pathway to settlement.
Read the full response on the petitions site.
Where the signatures came from
Signatures came from 650 constituencies. Measured against each constituency's electorate at the 2024 general election, the most came from Brent West, with 13.3 signatures per 1,000 electors (1,064 in all).
105,955 of the signatures were from the UK and 615 from elsewhere, by the location signers gave.
| Constituency | Signatures | Electorate, July 2024 | Per 1,000 electors |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brent West | 1,064 | 80,027 | 13.3 |
| Harrow West | 1,033 | 79,902 | 12.9 |
| Harrow East | 760 | 76,513 | 9.9 |
| East Ham | 766 | 79,219 | 9.7 |
| Leicester West | 648 | 74,102 | 8.7 |
| Preston | 659 | 77,400 | 8.5 |
| Coventry South | 623 | 76,232 | 8.2 |
| Manchester Rusholme | 593 | 72,608 | 8.2 |
| Luton South and South Bedfordshire | 625 | 77,312 | 8.1 |
| Birmingham Ladywood | 642 | 83,693 | 7.7 |
| Region | Signatures |
|---|---|
| London | 21,294 |
| South East | 14,063 |
| North West | 12,534 |
| West Midlands | 9,850 |
| East of England | 9,200 |
| South West | 8,648 |
| East Midlands | 7,798 |
| Yorkshire and The Humber | 6,892 |
| Scotland | 6,274 |
| North East | 3,098 |
| Wales | 3,038 |
| Northern Ireland | 2,194 |
Debate in Parliament
MPs debated the petition in Westminster Hall on 2 February 2026. Read the debate in Hansard. House of Commons Library debate pack.
Source and receipt
- https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/727372.jsonUK Parliament Petitions API · read 2026-10-15 · SHA-256
2faa6036a6a41b5f… - The petition on petition.parliament.uk
The petition's words are its creator's and the response is the Government's; this site quotes both and gives no view on either. Signature counts can still change while a petition is open. To report an error, send a correction request.