Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the policy paper entitled Statement of changes to the Immigration Rules: HC 813, 22 October 2020 on proposals on settlement for individuals who entered the UK under the European Communities Association Agreement route.

As the explanatory memorandum to HC 813 set out, following the end of the EU exit transition period and the repeal of EU-derived directly effective immigration rights, the UK is no longer obliged to provide preferential treatment to Turkish nationals on the basis of the European Communities Association Agreement (ECAA).

The earned settlement model, proposed in ‘A Fairer Pathway to Settlement’ (CP 1448), was consulted on between 20 November 2025 and 12 February 2026. We will now carefully review and analyse all responses received and the findings will support the development of the final earned settlement model, including consideration of any potential exemptions or transitional measures. Once the final model has been decided, the Government will communicate the outcome publicly.

In the meantime, Appendix ECAA: Extension of Stay and Appendix ECAA Settlement, which set out the rules described in HC 813, will continue to apply. Time spent in routes that currently count towards settlement after 5 years will also continue to count towards the new standard qualifying period.