Immigration: Earned Settlement

Nusrat Ghani Excerpts

Monday 2nd November 2026 Commons Chamber

[Several hon. Members rose—]

[Madam Deputy Speaker (Ms Nusrat Ghani)]

Order. I urge colleagues to keep their questions short and for the Home Secretary to be as on point as she can be.

[Bradley Thomas (Bromsgrove) (Con)]

One of the criteria to gain long-term settlement rights that the Home Secretary set out was no debt being owed to the state. What does that look like in reality? I have advocated for a student loan-style system for debts to be repaid. Will the Home Secretary address what steps she is taking to abolish the impact of rogue sponsors, namely chicken shops, Turkish barbers and vape shops, which all exist in plain sight and are an acute problem in the illegal immigration web?

--- Later in debate ---

[Madam Deputy Speaker (Ms Nusrat Ghani)]

Order. Marvellous. I call the Home Secretary.

[Shabana Mahmood]

Again, I appreciate the fact that not everybody will have had a chance yet to look at the whole consultation response, so I say to my hon. Friend that the position on children is largely unchanged. The rules about whether applicants have been here for seven years or the majority of their life in order to be able to settle still apply, and children will normally settle when both of their parents get ILR, which is the same position as today.

--- Later in debate ---

[Ben Obese-Jecty (Huntingdon) (Con)]

The Home Secretary did not address the issue of the dependants of armed forces personnel. In June, the majority of Government Members voted down my amendment to the Armed Forces Bill, which included the waiving of visa fees. That has now been overturned in the House of Lords, and the Bill will be coming back here, but will she clarify exactly what will happen to the spouses and children of armed forces personnel? Will their visa fees be waived? If they earn less than £50,000 and do not work in healthcare or a professional job, will they have to find themselves—sorry, I have lost my train of thought.

[Madam Deputy Speaker (Ms Nusrat Ghani)]

I think you made your point. Well done.

[Shabana Mahmood]

I know what the hon. Gentleman means. Let me assure him that the situation in relation to all members of the armed forces is unchanged by the package of earned settlement measures. They have their own bespoke regime. I will meet him to discuss the matter of fee waivers.