Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government, following the proposal to increase the minimum required period to apply for indefinite leave to remain from three to five years, what steps they are taking to ensure that the UK remains globally competitive in attracting tech talent.

The Immigration White Paper, published on 12 May 2025, set out that the standard qualifying period for settlement would increase to ten years, although individuals would have the opportunity to reduce this qualifying period based on contributions to the UK economy and society. We will launch a consultation on these changes later this year.

Individuals working within tech can access a number of routes, including the UK’s main work visa Skilled Worker for the majority of individuals, and via the Global Talent route for leaders and future leaders in key fields; those at an early career stage who have the potential to benefit the UK economy can apply through the High Potential Individual route; and those setting up the next generation of tech companies can access both the Innovator Founder and Scale-up routes.

The Immigration White Paper noted that we will go further in ensuring that the very highly skilled have opportunities to come to the UK by, amongst other measures, reviewing our Innovator Founder visa to ensure that it supports entrepreneurial talent currently studying at UK universities to move into the visa so that they can build their business and career in the UK, and streamlining the process for employers and skilled workers to get visas, reducing bureaucracy and supporting growth.