The government’s proposed changes to the pathway to Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR or permanent residence) have reportedly been pushed back from April 2026 to the ‘autumn’.
With the public consultation on ‘Earned Settlement’ now closed, having received over 200,000 responses, it appears the government are giving themselves more time to review them.
As a reminder, the government intends to create a baseline qualifying period for ILR of 10 years – double the current 5 years. This will be the starting point for all applicants, apart from those under the EU Settlement, BN(O) (Hong Kong) or Windrush Schemes.
The baseline will be adjusted up or down depending on several factors.
The original timeline the government had proposed was an announcement of changes in March 2026, followed by their implementation from April onwards.
The Home Secretary has now confirmed to The Times that while she intends to press ahead, these changes will be coming in the autumn. There is no clear date, and while we now expect the changes to come between September and November, that’s not definite.
However long the delay is, more people will now be able to apply for ILR before the changes come into effect, so please get in touch if you are approaching ILR eligibility.
We intend to run another client webinar once there is a more formal announcement.
If you have immediate questions or concerns, please get in touch and we will be happy to help.
We can assist our clients with assessing eligibility for ILR and submitting applications.
We will keep you updated as we hear more from the government.
Update to Sponsor Licence guidance
On 6 March 2026, the government made a series of updates across its published guidance for sponsor licence holders. In summary:
- Prospective and existing sponsors must read all relevant parts of the sponsor guidance and keep up to date with changes. You can find the relevant parts of the guidance here.
- Sponsors must conduct right to work checks on any worker you wish to employ or sponsor (including workers who are not your direct employees).
- If a sponsored worker’s role changes after they are granted their visa, and that new role does not take them into a new SOC code, you must report the change via the SMS within 10 working days of the date the change in duties becomes effective.
- Sponsors must ensure that their sponsored workers are aware of their employment rights in the UK. You may want to seek employment law advice on this matter.
- The Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) assigned to a worker must accurately reflect the role the individual will be performing.
The government can take action against a sponsor licence holder if they reasonably suspect that a breach of the sponsor guidance has occurred or is likely to occur.