If you are approaching your fifth year in the UK, headlines saying “ILR is now 10 years” may leave you questioning your plans. As at 4 November 2026, the current five-year Skilled Worker qualifying period remains in place. The announced settlement framework has not yet replaced that rule.
On 2 November, the Home Office published its earned settlement consultation outcome. Its approach makes ten years the standard starting point for indefinite leave to remain (ILR), with shorter pathways and groups outside the framework. The announcement date is not its commencement date.
Does the five-year rule still apply today?
Under the current Skilled Worker rules, paragraph SW 21.1 retains a continuous five-year qualifying period. Eligible immigration categories, absences, sponsorship, salary, suitability and the Life in the UK test also matter.
Completing five years therefore does not automatically entitle someone to ILR. If you are approaching eligibility, your circumstances need to be assessed against the current rules. A headline alone does not determine your application date.
Who could qualify sooner under the new plan?
The announced framework starts at ten years. For eligible immigration routes, and subject to the other requirements, the earnings-based shorter pathways include:
- Five years: Annual earnings of at least £50,271 in at least three of the five years immediately before applying.
- Three years: Annual earnings of at least £125,141 in at least three of the four years immediately before applying.
A high salary today is therefore different from meeting the required earnings history. These details appear in the government’s response.
The Home Office announcement also includes five-year pathways for specified health and education occupations, alongside conditional transitional arrangements for some existing care workers. These are not blanket exemptions for every healthcare worker or existing resident. Requirements concerning English, suitability, government debt and economic contribution also form part of the new approach.
What does this mean for the Turkish ECAA routes?
The response expressly lists Turkish businesspeople and workers under the ECAA among the separate arrangements unaffected by these reforms.
That distinction relates to the immigration route, rather than Turkish nationality. For example, two Turkish nationals who arrived in the UK on the same date might hold permission under ECAA and Skilled Worker respectively. Their arrival date alone would not justify applying the same settlement timetable to both. ECAA applicants still need their own route requirements checked.
What preparation makes sense now?
Start with your current route, qualifying residence and family members’ circumstances. Review which periods your earnings and employment records cover. The government says detailed rules, technical guidance and an impact assessment will follow before implementation; these sources do not yet give a confirmed starting date for the overall new system.
Avoid making decisions on either assumption that everyone must now wait ten years or that all existing visa holders will be unaffected. Your route and the forthcoming transitional provisions both need consideration.
At Leon Advisers, we assess payslips, company accounts and bank records together when reviewing financial evidence. Through our ILR service, we can review your settlement plan against your current route and residence history.
This article provides general information. Individual eligibility depends on the rules applicable at the relevant time and the circumstances of your case.