UK doubles residency visa wait for migrants to 10 years; Indians to be hit

Foreign workers in the United Kingdom will now have to wait ten years, instead of five, to qualify for permanent residency, the government has announced, as the UK unveils a slew of new immigration rules.

Migrants will also be required to pass a “series of new tests” designed to to prove their ability to be a good citizen.

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'Earn the right' to stay

Britain Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood on Monday (September 29) said at the Labour Party’s annual conference in Liverpool that applicants must "earn the right" to claim indefinite leave to remain in the UK, according to news reports.

Securing this status would grant access to certain welfare benefits, the right to work in the UK, and a pathway to citizenship.

The waiting period for long-term stay applications has thus been doubled, with foreign nationals required to complete ten years, instead of five, in the UK before applying.

In addition, they must meet specific conditions ranging from making national insurance contributions to learning English to a “high standard and volunteering with local charities.

“Because the truth is, across this country, people feel like things are spinning out of control,” Mahmood said. “When they hear of widespread illegal working, undercutting British workers, they feel the system is rigged,” she added.

Crackdown on migrants

These measures form part of Prime Minister Keir Starmer government’s broader crackdown on illegal migration. Initiatives such as digital IDs and deportation of illegal migrants are also underway.

Earlier this month, Reform UK announced that it it would scrap the Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) for migrants, which grants them the right to live, study and work in the UK permanently, if the party wins the next election.

Reform UK said it would replace ILR with visas that force migrants to reapply every five years. That includes hundreds of thousands of migrants currently in the UK.

The Labour government faces growing pressure, with Reform UK currently leading in national opinion polls.

Also Read: UK family visa: How will new salary threshold rules impact Indians?

Impact on Indians

Since Indians make up one of the largest groups of migrants, workers and students in the UK, they are likely to suffer significantly due to this move.

The new series of tests and the extended residency timeline and additional tests could particularly hit them hard, raising costs and deepening uncertainty.

As of December 2024, nearly 975,100 Indian nationals were reportedly under the UK employment payrolls, the largest number among non-UK nationalities.

Data shows that between December 2023 and December 2024, payroll employment for UK nationals fell by 241,000 and for EU nationals by 80,200.

Also Read: Why new visa rules may severely impact Indian grad students in Britain

Work visas halved

Work visas issued to Indian nationals, however, declined sharply compared to 2023. The number fell by half — from 162,655 in 2023 to 81,463 in 2024.

Meanwhile, under the free trade agreement signed between India and the UK in July, Britain was to ease some rules for Indian professionals.

An “innovative” Double Contribution Convention (DCC) exempted Indian workers and their employers from UK social security contributions for three years, reducing costs for Indian IT and financial services firms.

However, the UK also capped annual entries at 1,800 for Indian traditional chefs, yoga instructors, and classical musicians coming in as contractual service suppliers. Temporary entry and stay were restricted to upto 12 months within any 24-month period.