Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with regards to her Department's White Paper on Restoring control over the immigration system, published 12 May, if she will publish further information on how changes to the (a) standard qualifying period for settlement to 10 years will affect people already in the UK, (b) pathway to settlement will affect non-UK dependants and (c) qualifying period base on Points-Based contributions will affect applicants.

We will reform our settlement and citizenship rules by expanding the Points-Based System and increasing the standard qualifying period for settlement to ten years.

Individuals will have the opportunity to reduce the qualifying period to settlement and citizenship based on contributions to the UK economy and society.

We will be consulting on the earned settlement scheme later this year and further details on the proposed scheme will be provided at that time.