Migrant settlement grants at highest level in more than a decade
Some 158,137 people were granted indefinite leave to remain in the UK in the year to September,
The number of foreign nationals being granted settlement in the UK each year is running at the highest level in more than a decade.
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Some 158,137 people were granted indefinite leave to remain in the UK in the year to September, including migrants who initially arrived in the country as a refugee or for work.
The figure, which does not include grants made under the separate EU Settlement Scheme, is up 6% year on year from 148,610 and is the highest for the 12 months to September since 2011, when it stood at 182,892.
Publishing the data on Thursday, the Home Office said: “Settlement grants have generally followed an upward trajectory since 2018.
“The long-term rise largely reflects an increasing number of individuals entering and remaining in the UK for work or family reasons, who later become eligible for indefinite leave to remain.”
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The figures come as Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has announced plans to overhaul the immigration system as part of efforts to reduce the number of people coming to the UK.
Projections published by the Home Office suggest an estimated 1.6 million people could be eligible to settle in the UK between 2026 and 2030, based on the current rules.
Under the proposed changes for “earned settlement”, conditions will be set for migrants to apply for settled status after 10 years, instead of five currently.
There would also be conditions migrants need to meet, such as having a clean criminal record and speaking English to A-level standard, and they could be fast-tracked or forced to wait longer depending on their “contributions” to the UK.
A consultation is under way to consider whether migrants who work in public services, such as doctors and nurses, or who pay a higher level of tax, could qualify for settlement after five years.
But lower-qualified workers who arrived on health and social care visas during the “Boris wave” from 2022 could have to wait 15 years, or those on benefits could only be eligible after 20 years.
In the year to September, 59,642 people on work visas and their dependants were given settlement in the UK, up 11% on the 53,906 in the previous 12 months.
Those on family visas and reunion granted status were also up 5% to 43,942, with most issued to people who had previously had partner visas, the Home Office said.
Overall grants for permanent status for refugees were down slightly at 35,725, a 2% drop on 36,626 in the previous year to September.
But the Home Office said despite the small decrease, grants were more than double the volume in 2019.
“This is consistent with the increasing number of people granted asylum or resettled between 2015 and 2019,” the department said.
“Around two-thirds of those granted refugee permission since 2007 have gained settlement within seven years, rising to over 90% within 10 years.”
As part of asylum reforms, Ms Mahmood has also said refugees will be forced to wait up to 20 years before being able to apply for permanent settlement in the country, up from five years at present.
Indefinite leave to remain gives non-British nationals the right to live, work and study in the UK for as long as they like and to apply for benefits if eligible.
Ms Mahmood is also consulting on plans for migrants to only become eligible for benefits and social housing once they become British citizens.