Earned Settlement Checker

Care worker who arrived or switched after May 2025: the 10-year pathway

The one-off arrangement for care workers applies only to people who entered or switched into the route before the Immigration White Paper was published in May 2025. Anyone entering or switching afterwards qualifies through the standard 10-year Earned Settlement pathway.

The government estimates that around 6,000 care workers and 5,000 dependants became care workers after the White Paper and are on that standard pathway.

Worked example. The dates below are illustrative, calculated as of 2 November 2026. They assume every other requirement is met.

Earliest settlement: September 2035 (10-year pathway)

On what you told us, your route leads to a 10-year pathway.

Pathway
10-year pathway
Earliest date
September 2035

Why this pathway

  • The care worker transitional arrangement only covers people who entered or switched into the route before May 2025. Later arrivals qualify through the standard 10-year pathway.

Before you apply

  • Met No criminal record
  • Met No outstanding government debt
  • Met English at B2
  • Met Life in the UK test passed
  • Met No public funds in the last five years
  • Met No immigration breach as an adult

Good to know

  • Family members: a partner who arrives with you can generally settle at the same time. A partner who joins later completes the same qualifying period from their own arrival. Children under 18 settle with parents. Young adults aged 18 to 24 who remain dependants settle alongside their family, and those aged 25 or over must qualify independently.
  • Only time on routes that count towards settlement builds your qualifying period. Time on temporary routes such as Student or Graduate does not.
  • Estimates assume continuous lawful residence. Rules on absences from the UK are not covered here.
  • The government response does not give an implementation date and says further guidance will follow. Applications are normally decided under the rules in force on the date of the decision, so treat dates as estimates.

Based on A Fairer Pathway to Settlement: Government Response to the Consultation (CP 1707), Home Office, November 2026. Rules as of 2 November 2026. General information only, not immigration advice.

Check your own situation

Frequently asked questions

Can a later arrival ever get a shorter path?

Only by meeting an accelerated pathway, for example earning at least £50,271 in 3 of the 5 years before applying, which is unlikely on a care worker salary.

General information only. This is not immigration advice and is not affiliated with the Home Office or GOV.UK. Rules may change and guidance is still to come. For advice on your own case, speak to an OISC-regulated adviser or a solicitor.

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