Download the briefing
September 2023
What’s the ask? Routes to settlement should be capped at five years maximum. To begin, we recommend parliamentarians commission an independent review of immigration policies and processes.
What is ‘settlement’? This refers to permanent residence, or Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR). People who are ‘settled’ in the UK can live, work and access state support indefinitely, and no longer apply to extend their right to stay every few years. After having ILR for 12 months, most people can apply for Citizenship.
Background Once people enter the UK, they form permanent relationships and communities, and put down roots. However, the UK’s current immigration system does not take this into account. Instead, it treats many migrants’ presence in the UK as temporary, even after they have been here for years or even decades.
Most migrants with the right to stay in the UK are eligible for settlement after 5 years. How…