Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department holds information that shows introducing an earned settlement model would lead to an increase in people departing the UK.

Proposals for introducing an earned settlement model, as set out in the Command Paper “A Fairer Pathway to Settlement” (CP1448), were subject to a public consultation, which opened on 20 November 2025 and closed on 12 February 2026.

In addition to the consultation, the Department has undertaken research with existing visa holders to understand the potential behavioural impacts of an earned settlement approach.

We are carefully considering the responses to the consultation and any behavioural evidence.

Implementation of the earned settlement arrangements will be subject to economic and equality impact assessments, which we have committed to publish in due course.