Keep 5-Year ILR and Restrict Access to Benefits for New ILR Holders
The Parliament petitions site records 244,451 signatures for this petition, which closed on 18 May 2026. 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.
Keep 5-Year ILR and Restrict Access to Benefits for New ILR Holders
The Government should keep the current 5-year route to Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) and restrict access to government benefits for new ILR holders.
Extending the ILR route to 10 years would unfairly affect thousands of Skilled Worker visa holders who moved to the UK based on existing 5-year rules, disrupting their plans, families, and financial stability. The Government should keep the 5-year ILR route and ensuring new ILR holders demonstrate financial independence before accessing public benefits. We think this protect fairness and stability.
The Government's response
The Government published its response on 4 December 2025; the petitions site lists the Home Office as responsible. Its summary:
As set out in the Immigration White Paper, the default qualifying period doubles to 10 years. We welcome views on other measures, including access to benefits, via the earned settlement consultation.
The opening 399 words of the 530-word response:
Settlement in the UK is a privilege and not a right. It is a prerequisite for becoming a British citizen and brings lifelong benefits. It marks an important step in integrating and contributing to local communities and the wider country.
Under the current system, individuals qualify for settlement primarily on the basis of the length of time they have spent in the UK alongside a knowledge of life test which is used to verify knowledge of British customs, history, traditions, laws and political system.
These criteria alone do not reflect our strongly held belief that people should contribute to the economy and society before gaining settled status in the UK. Moreover, they fail to promote integration, which limits the wider benefit from long term migration into the UK and increases pressure on public services.
We therefore intend to fundamentally reform our settlement rules for the first time in over 50 years. The Immigration White Paper, published on 12 May 2025, set out that the default qualifying period for settlement would be increased from five to ten years. It also included proposals for a new ‘earned settlement’ model which are subject to consultation.
The consultation on the ‘earned settlement’ model launched on 20 November 2025 and will run for 12 weeks until 12 February 2026. It is open to anyone who wishes to share their views, including individuals, organisations and other stakeholders who may be affected by, or have an interest in, the proposed changes.
We are proposing to increase the baseline qualifying period for settlement to 15 years for those on the Skilled Worker route in a role below RQF level 6 (equivalent to a bachelor’s degree).
In the next five years, settlement volumes are forecast to increase significantly, due to the unprecedented level of migration to the UK in recent years. Between 2021 and 2024, there was significant growth in lower-skilled migration on work routes, particularly on the Health and Social Care visa, which is estimated to make up 47% of settlement grants in 2028.
Individuals will have the opportunity to reduce the qualifying period to settlement based on contributions to the UK economy and society.
Speaking English at degree level, earning a high salary and being employed in specific public service roles would result in a reduction. However, where a person has claimed public funds or committed immigration offences, they would face a penalty of extra years.
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 East Ham, with 43.5 signatures per 1,000 electors (3,444 in all).
242,871 of the signatures were from the UK and 1,580 from elsewhere, by the location signers gave.
| Constituency | Signatures | Electorate, July 2024 | Per 1,000 electors |
|---|---|---|---|
| East Ham | 3,444 | 79,219 | 43.5 |
| Ilford South | 2,797 | 80,993 | 34.5 |
| Brent West | 2,582 | 80,027 | 32.3 |
| Harrow West | 2,571 | 79,902 | 32.2 |
| Luton South and South Bedfordshire | 2,350 | 77,312 | 30.4 |
| Hayes and Harlington | 2,079 | 74,405 | 27.9 |
| Barking | 2,162 | 79,822 | 27.1 |
| Harrow East | 1,970 | 76,513 | 25.7 |
| Feltham and Heston | 1,866 | 76,982 | 24.2 |
| Slough | 1,914 | 81,295 | 23.5 |
| Region | Signatures |
|---|---|
| London | 57,900 |
| South East | 30,442 |
| West Midlands | 26,851 |
| North West | 25,626 |
| East of England | 21,946 |
| East Midlands | 17,866 |
| Yorkshire and The Humber | 15,237 |
| South West | 14,400 |
| Scotland | 13,560 |
| Wales | 6,955 |
| North East | 6,107 |
| Northern Ireland | 3,060 |
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/746363.jsonUK Parliament Petitions API · read 2026-10-15 · SHA-256
cd9f9961145a8860… - 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.