Earned Settlement Checker

Claimed public funds in the last five years: what it does to your settlement date

Applicants on the three-, five- or ten-year pathways are expected not to have accessed specified public funds in the five years immediately before applying. If they continue to claim, they must complete 20 years on a qualifying route instead.

The government will first use the existing definition of public funds in the Immigration Rules and Home Office guidance, then decide which benefits count and where safeguards or exemptions apply for vulnerable groups. Those details are still to come.

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

Earliest settlement: September 2042 (20-year pathway)

On what you told us, your route leads to a 20-year pathway. If you stop claiming public funds now, you could reach your normal 5-year pathway once you have had five clean years, so no earlier than November 2031.

Pathway
20-year pathway
Earliest date
September 2042
If you stay off public funds
November 2031

Why this pathway

  • Earnings of at least £50,271 in 3 of the 5 years before you apply qualify for the 5-year pathway.
  • If you have claimed public funds in the five years before applying, you must either complete a continuous five-year period without them or wait until you have been on a qualifying route for 20 years.

Before you apply

  • Met No criminal record
  • Met No outstanding government debt
  • Met English at B2
  • Met Life in the UK test passed
  • Met Sustained contribution (at least £12,571 a year)Assessed over several years using your best years, so a short low-income period such as maternity leave need not count against you.
  • Lengthens wait No public funds in the last five yearsClaiming them moves you to the 20-year pathway unless you go five years without. Safeguards for vulnerable people will be set out before implementation.
  • 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

How does someone get back to a shorter pathway?

In the government's example, someone who has accessed public funds must either complete a continuous five-year period on a qualifying route without them, or wait until they have completed 20 years, provided they meet all other mandatory requirements.

Who is exempt?

Refugees admitted through Safe and Legal routes are exempt. Safeguards for other vulnerable groups will be set out before implementation.

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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