Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the United Kingdom’s obligations under the Council of Europe’s Convention on Establishment, ratified by the UK in 1969, in relation to the rights of long term lawful residents; and how those obligations would be upheld if the long residence route is abolished or replaced under the proposed earned settlement system.

The consultation for the earned settlement model, as proposed in ‘A Fairer Pathway to Settlement’, was open to the public between 20 November 2025 and 12 February 2026. Contributions will now be analysed, and the findings will support the development of the final model.

Once the final model has been decided, the Government will communicate the outcome publicly. As with all significant policy changes, the proposals will be subject to both economic impact assessments and equality impact assessments which we will publish as well as the Government’s response in due course.

The UK remains committed to meeting its international obligations.