Americans working in the UK on salaries below £50,271 (about $66,700, at the time of this writing) would wait 10 years instead of five for permanent residence under the Home Office’s earned settlement plan. Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood set out the framework in the House of Commons on Nov. 2. Most of it isn’t law yet.
The status at stake is indefinite leave to remain, or ILR, the UK’s version of a green card. It’s also the step before British citizenship, which a record number of Americans applied for in 2025 and early 2026.
The government published its consultation response the same day. The consultation drew 204,667 responses, the document states.
Who could still settle in five years or less
The plan replaces the single five-year track with tiers tied to earnings and ties to Britain. The proposed qualifying periods:
Three years: earnings of at least £125,141 (about $166,000) in three of the last four years, or a place in a “highest talent” group still under review
Five years: earnings of at least £50,271 in three of the last five years, five years in an eligible public service job, or a British connection
10 years: the new default, with earnings of at least £12,571 (about $16,700) in five of the previous seven years
20 years: applicants who claimed public funds or broke immigration rules
Every applicant would also need B2-level English and a pass on the Life in the UK test. A UK criminal record or unpaid government debt, including NHS and tax debt, would mean refusal.
Americans married to British citizens keep five years
Partners, parents and children of British citizens would stay on a five-year route as a “British connection,” provided they meet the new minimum requirements. That covers Americans in the UK on spouse and partner visas.
Partners of other migrants don’t get the same deal. A partner who arrives with a Skilled Worker can settle at the same time, but one who joins later has to complete the full qualifying period, the response states.
The UK Ancestry route keeps its five-year path too. Americans can’t use it, though, because it’s limited to Commonwealth citizens.
Does time already spent in the UK still count?
It counts, but toward the new periods. The government isn’t offering general protection to people already in the country. Transitional relief is limited to named groups, mainly care workers and some health and education staff who arrived before May 2025.
Time on Student and Graduate visas wouldn’t count toward settlement at all. The Long Residence route, which now lets people settle after 10 years of lawful stay across different visas, would close.
So an American who studied in London, stayed on a Graduate visa and then moved into a sponsored job would likely start the settlement clock at the job. On a salary under £50,271, that clock would run 10 years.
What this means for Americans in the UK
The Office for National Statistics counted about 172,800 US-born residents in 2019, the most recent figure on AE’s UK dashboard. The Home Office expects the reforms to push more than 500,000 people’s settlement later, cutting projected grants for 2026 to 2030 from 1.9 million to 1.4 million. It doesn’t break that down by nationality.
The UK isn’t alone in lengthening the clock. Portugal’s 10-year citizenship rule took effect in May. Timing remains loose. The first changes would begin appearing in the December Immigration Rules, with the rest phased in over 2027, Mahmood told MPs.
The government hasn’t published a start date for the 10-year standard. Applications are normally decided under the rules in force on the decision date, so for Americans a few months short of five years, that start date now matters more than their arrival date.
