The Immigration Rules change several times a year, and a change often starts weeks or months after it is announced. This page keeps the ones that matter for settlement in one place, newest first. Each has its start date and a link to the Home Office document it comes from.
Latest ILR news
- 15 September 2026: the Home Secretary told MPs the final earned settlement policy will come "later this year". No date yet. Full earned settlement update.
- 3 September 2026: new rules laid in HC 584. Most of them started on 8 October 2026, including the BN(O) change below.
- 5 March 2026: HC 1691 laid. English for settlement goes up to B2 for applications from 26 March 2027.
Coming up
From 26 March 2027
Hong Kong BNO holders have their own changes this year. Read BNO ILR in 2026.
English for settlement goes up from B1 to B2
Most settlement routes ask for English at B1 today. If you apply on or after 26 March 2027, the level becomes B2 on these routes: Skilled Worker, Scale-up, UK Ancestry, Global Talent, Innovator Founder, Minister of Religion, Representative of an Overseas Business, International Sportsperson, Long Residence, Private Life, Bereaved Partner, Settlement Family Life, Child Relative (Sponsors with Protection), and the routes that use Appendix KoLL.
Two points catch people out. It applies to people already on their way to ILR, not just new arrivals. And Skilled Worker and Scale-up applicants will have to meet the English rule again when they settle, even though they already did it for the visa. The Home Office says it pushed the start date back to give people time to get ready.
If your ILR date is on or after 26 March 2027, it makes sense to plan a B2 test now. Not sure of your date? Use the ILR date calculator.
Source: Statement of changes HC 1691, laid 5 March 2026, explanatory memorandum paragraphs 5.60 to 5.62.
Already in force
8 October 2026
BN(O): children can settle with their parents without 5 years’ residence
On the Hong Kong BN(O) route, a child under 18 no longer has to complete 5 years of continuous residence before settling. Where the parents meet the settlement rules, the child can now settle with them.
Source: Statement of changes HC 584, laid 3 September 2026, paragraph APP HK1 and explanatory memorandum paragraph 5.32.
3 August 2026
Scale-up: neonatal leave counts as allowed absence
For the Scale-up earnings rule, neonatal leave now counts as an allowed period of absence, for both extensions and settlement. Skilled Worker already worked this way. In the same statement, stateless people applying to settle now use the SET(O) form instead of the old FLR(S) form.
Source: Statement of changes HC 259, laid 9 July 2026, paragraphs APP SCU2, APP S1 and APP S2, and explanatory memorandum paragraphs 5.33 to 5.35. Applications made before 3 August 2026 follow the old rules.
Claims from 2 March 2026
Refugee leave cut from 5 years to 30 months
For asylum claims or further submissions made on or after 2 March 2026, refugee leave is 30 months instead of 5 years, so the old step to settlement after 5 years does not apply to them. Unaccompanied children are treated differently for now. People who claimed by 1 March 2026 and are given 5 years’ leave can still apply for settlement at the end of it.
Source: Statement of changes HC 1691, explanatory memorandum paragraphs 5.5 to 5.9.
Still only a plan
Not law yet
Earned settlement
The government consulted on moving most people from a 5-year to a longer “earned” path to settlement. The consultation ran from 20 November 2025 to 12 February 2026. On 19 October 2026 there was still no government response on GOV.UK. An MP asked on 13 October when it will be published (written question 34483), and the House of Commons Library says there is no exact timetable for new rules. Until they come, most routes still lead to ILR after 5 years. Our Earned Settlement estimator shows what the proposals could mean for you. For the full status, see our earned settlement latest update.
How we keep this page up to date
Every time the Home Office lays a new statement of changes, we read the explanatory memorandum and the implementation section, and add anything that touches settlement here. Small wording fixes that change nothing for applicants are left out. The full list of statements is on GOV.UK.
Last checked: 19 October 2026