Earned Settlement Checker

Small boat arrival in work or study: the 20-year pathway

Someone who entered illegally, was granted protection and then moves into sustained work, education or training can use Protection Work and Study. That is a 10-year pathway, but the extra 10 years for illegal entry applies too, so 20 years in total.

The 10-year clock starts when they move onto Protection Work and Study, and time previously spent on Core Protection does not count towards it. The date below is therefore a best case counted from today.

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

Best case: November 2046 (20-year Protection Work and Study pathway)

On what you told us, your route leads to a 20-year Protection Work and Study pathway.

Pathway
20-year Protection Work and Study pathway
Best case
November 2046

Why this pathway

  • Refugees who claim asylum in the UK normally move onto Core Protection, which has a 20-year pathway to settlement.
  • Entering the UK illegally, including by small boat, adds a further 10 years to the pathway.
  • If you move into sustained work, education or training you can move onto Protection Work and Study, a 20-year pathway including the extra 10 years. Its clock starts when you move onto it, and time previously spent on Core Protection does not count towards it.
  • The date shown is a best case, counting from November 2026.

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

Ways this could be shorter

  • Stay on Core Protection: 30 years (from June 2054). If you do not move into sustained work, education or training, the Core Protection pathway counts from when you were granted protection.

Still unclear

  • For people granted protection before Protection Work and Study exists, the government will set out whether and how time already spent in the UK applies. Your date may come earlier than shown.
  • Refugees who claim asylum in the UK generally must not have claimed public funds in the five years before settling to use a pathway shorter than 20 years. Safeguards for the most vulnerable will be set out before implementation.
  • If you received asylum support that you must repay, you will also need to have repaid it in full or be keeping to an agreed repayment plan.

Good to know

  • 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

What earnings does this route need?

For those showing contribution through work, at least £12,571 in three qualifying years. As elsewhere, temporary periods of lower earnings will not by themselves prevent someone qualifying.

Does public funds use matter?

Yes. Refugees who claim asylum in the UK generally must not have claimed public funds in the five years before settlement to access a pathway shorter than 20 years. Safeguards for the most vulnerable 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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