UK Tightens Permanent Residency Rules, Extending Standard Residency Requirement to 10 Years

On November 2, the UK government announced a comprehensive immigration overhaul, extending the standard residency requirement for most legal migrants seeking permanent residency from five to 10 years, with some applicants potentially facing longer waits. According to Sina Finance, the plan bases permanent residency on individual contributions: high-income migrants could qualify after three years, while migrants arriving in the UK by small boat across the English Channel will face tighter restrictions. The government had proposed extending the requirement for some foreign healthcare and social care workers to 10 or even 15 years, but unions and some Labour MPs strongly opposed the proposal; after revisions, the standard requirement for some workers in those sectors will remain five years. The reform is the latest move to tighten immigration policy amid a sharp increase in immigration to the UK since Brexit.