Immigration: Armed Forces
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of proposed changes to rules on indefinite leave to remain on (a) non-British spouses and (b) children of service personnel.
Answered by Mike Tapp
The earned settlement model, proposed in ‘A Fairer Pathway to Settlement’, was subject to a public consultation, which opened on 20 November 2025 and closed on 12 February 2026.
The standard qualifying period will move from five years to ten years for most individuals. We have already committed that shorter pathways will remain for dependants of British citizens (five years), and safeguards will be retained for vulnerable groups.
The Government remains committed to the Armed Forces covenant. As such, the consultation also included specific questions to ask whether service personnel and their immediate family members should retain their current arrangements to apply for settlement immediately upon leaving the Armed Forces.
The final model will also be subject to economic and equality impact assessments, which we have committed to publish in due course.
Verbatim has judged this answer against the question that was actually asked — answered, partly answered, or evaded. Sign in to see the verdict →