Earned settlement: who will qualify after three or five years?

Editorial discussion prompt using a fictional name; this is not a real visitor’s case.

Today’s earned-settlement statement describes shorter routes for some higher earners, public-service professions and talent routes. Who would qualify for settlement after three or five years, and what evidence and qualifying income periods will applicants need to check in the final rules? How will a salary change during the qualifying period be treated?

Source: Hansard, “Immigration: Earned Settlement”, Home Secretary’s statement, 2 November 2026. This is an announced policy: rule changes are expected to begin to be laid in December, with implementation during 2027. Do not assume eligibility changes immediately.

The published government response gives more detail than the headline announcement:

• Three-year earnings pathway: at least £125,141 in three of the four years immediately before applying.
• Five-year earnings pathway: at least £50,271 in three of the five years immediately before applying.
• Specified health and education occupations can qualify for a five-year pathway without meeting the higher-earner threshold. Eligibility depends on the listed occupation, not simply working somewhere in the NHS or education sector.

The earnings assessment therefore allows some lower-earning years; a temporary salary reduction does not necessarily rule out the shorter pathway. Meeting an earnings figure alone is insufficient: qualifying residence and the other mandatory settlement requirements also matter. Separate provisions apply to talent routes and recognised British connections.

Retain P60s, payslips and HMRC earnings records, together with evidence of your occupation and immigration history. Check the final Rules for accepted evidence and how the assessment periods operate. These are announced pathways, not permission to apply immediately under a newly commenced scheme.

Source: Home Office, A Fairer Pathway to Settlement: Government response to the consultation, CP 1707, Chapter 2 (November 2026); Home Secretary’s statement of 2 November 2026. General information as at 3 November 2026, not an individual eligibility assessment.