Methodology

The checker turns one published document into a small set of rules. This page explains which document, which rules and what the checker does not know.

Source

All rules come from A Fairer Pathway to Settlement: Government Response to the Consultation (CP 1707), Home Office, November 2026. We do not use unofficial summaries to define a rule. Where the document is silent or says detail will follow, the checker says so rather than guessing.

What the checker does

Reads your route and decides the base pathway: 3, 5 or 10 years.
Applies earnings thresholds (£12,571, £50,271, £125,141), the public service list (Annex C) and the transitional arrangements for care workers and some public service workers.
Overrides to 20 years for a qualifying immigration breach or for claiming public funds in the last five years.
For refugees, applies Safe and Legal, Core Protection and Protection Work and Study pathways, plus 10 extra years for illegal entry unless Article 31 applies.
Adds your start month and year to the pathway length to give an earliest date.
Checks the mandatory requirements: criminal record, government debt, English, Life in the UK test and contribution.

Assumptions and limits

It assumes continuous lawful residence on a route that counts. Rules on absences are not modelled.
It uses the date you enter as the start of your qualifying period. Time on temporary routes does not count.
It uses typical annual earnings as a proxy for the "best years" test. The real test needs your actual earnings record.
It cannot assess discretion, exemptions or safeguards the government has not yet published.
No implementation date has been published, and applications are normally decided under the rules in force on the decision date.

Privacy by design

The checker runs entirely in your browser. Your answers are not sent to a server and are not stored.

Version history

2 November 2026: first version, based on the government response to the earned settlement consultation (CP 1707).

Report a mistake

If you spot an error or a rule that has changed, please email hello@canisettle.uk with a link to the source.