Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department has assessed the potential impact of a 15-year baseline qualifying period for settlement on the functioning and long-term sustainability of social care services.

The earned settlement model, proposed in ‘A Fairer Pathway to Settlement’, announced changes to the mandatory requirements and qualifying period for indefinite leave to remain. It is currently subject to a public consultation, running until 12 February 2026.

The consultation seeks views on the impact proposed changes might have on different groups. Details of the earned settlement model will be finalised following that consultation.

The final model will also be subject to economic and equality impact assessments, which we have committed to publish in due course.