Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether receiving Personal Independence Payment for a temporary period will impact access to the proposed extended settlement period.

Personal Independence Payments constitute public funds for the purposes of the Immigration Rules. It has not yet been determined what will constitute public funds or the purposes of adjustments to the qualifying period for settlement under the earned settlement model, as set out in the Command Paper “A Fairer Pathway to Settlement” (CP1448).

No final decisions have been taken. The proposals have been the subject of a public consultation, which opened on 20 November 2025 and closed on 12 February 2026. We are now reviewing and analysing all responses received and will give careful consideration to these assessments in shaping the final model, including its application to vulnerable groups.

We have committed to undertaking economic and equality impact assessments in respect of the final model, which we will publish in due course.