UK move to double wait time for permanent residency to hit Indians

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has recently unveiled a tough new policy that seeks to double the waiting time for people seeking permanent residency from 5 to 10 years.

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The move is expected to have a huge impact on Indians, who make up the largest group of professionals and students arriving in the United Kingdom annually.

Indian immigrants

The Office for National Statistics says that Indians constituted the largest group of immigrants to the UK in 2023, with around 2,50,000 arriving mainly for work and educational opportunities.

The new policy was announced on Monday by the prime minister who declared that his Labour government would take back the control of borders and close the book on a squalid chapter of rising inward migration.

Now, only those in the UK for 10 years will be able to apply for permanent residency. In other words, immigrants will have to live in the UK for 10 years before applying for the right to stay indefinitely.

Tougher visa norms

Norms for the main skilled worker visa have also been made tougher. Immigrant professionals will now need a degree-level qualification to apply instead of the equivalent of A-level, the BBC reported.

The tough measures were announced despite a 10 per cent overall decline in net annual immigration to the UK.

Non-EU immigrants

Notably, around 85 per cent of the people who migrated to the UK were from outside the European Union.

The new system will do away with the current policy that grants automatic settlement and citizenship to individuals, including Indians, who have lived in the UK for five years.

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The proposal to end automatic settlement after five years is part of planned restrictions on legal migration, which will also significantly limit employers' ability to hire overseas workers for lower-skilled positions, The Financial Times reported.

English requirements

The new policy also seeks to increase the salary threshold for all visa holders seeking to bring over dependants. It will also increase English language requirements for both visa holders and their dependants, media reports said.

“The theory that higher migration numbers necessarily lead to higher growth has been tested in the last four years,” the prime minister said, adding that while migration had quadrupled, the economy stagnated.