Earned Settlement Checker

Care worker who arrived before May 2025: settlement after 5 years

After consultation, the government dropped the 15-year wait it had proposed for care workers already in the UK. Care workers who entered or switched into the route before the Immigration White Paper was published in May 2025 keep the existing five-year qualifying period.

To use it you must meet the route requirements, including a salary of at least £25,000 a year, sponsorship and genuine care employment. You also need to meet the strengthened general requirements, including English and criminality.

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

Earliest settlement: June 2028 (5-year pathway)

On what you told us, your route leads to a 5-year pathway.

Pathway
5-year pathway
Earliest date
June 2028

Why this pathway

  • Care workers who entered or switched into the route before May 2025 keep the existing 5-year period, provided they meet the £25,000 salary, sponsorship and employment requirements.

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

Why May 2025?

The government says publication of the Immigration White Paper that month announced the move from five to ten years, so it gives a clear cut-off after which new arrivals knew of the intended change.

What if my employer loses its sponsor licence?

The government says care workers affected will get longer than other sponsored workers to find new employment: from 1 February 2027, up to 120 days to get a secure job offer and a further 60 days to resolve their visa and employment status.

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.

Related situations

Guides