Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what consideration they have given to transitional protection for those who will be affected by the proposed abolition of the long-residence policy following their consultation on earned settlement, which closed on 12 February.

As set out in ‘A Fairer Pathway to Settlement’, a consequence of the proposed system is that there will no longer be a separate long residence route. In allowing for an individual to increase or reduce their qualifying period to settlement through relevant criteria, the introduction of the earned settlement model will supersede the requirements of the Long Residence route.

The consultation on the earned settlement model was open between 20 November 2025 and 12 February 2026. We received over 200,000 responses and are currently analysing them. This will inform the development of the final model, which will be decided by the Home Secretary.

Once the final model has been decided, the Government will communicate the outcome publicly.  As with all significant policy changes, the proposals will be subject to both economic and equality impact assessments.

In the meantime, the current Long Residence rules will continue to apply, and any changes will be communicated publicly.