Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the proposed 10-year pathway to settlement on people nearing their five-year eligibility.

We will reform our settlement and citizenship rules by expanding the Points-Based System and increasing the standard qualifying period for settlement to ten years. Individuals will have the opportunity to reduce the qualifying period to settlement and citizenship based on contributions to the UK economy and society.

We will be consulting on the earned settlement scheme later this year and further details on the proposed scheme will be provided at the time.