Nigerians living and working in Britain now have a clearer, and for many a tougher, picture of how long they must wait before they can settle permanently. Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has confirmed the government’s “earned settlement” framework, which makes 10 years the standard qualifying period for indefinite leave to remain (ILR), double the five years most work-visa holders have relied on until now.
The policy was set out in Parliament on 2 November 2026, when the government published its response to last year’s consultation. Flashinfong reported on the eve of the announcement that care workers were expected to receive softer terms. With the details now analysed by immigration lawyers, here is what has actually been decided, and what it could mean for the large Nigerian community on Skilled Worker and Health and Care visas.
From five years to ten: the new baseline
Under the framework, most migrants on work, talent and family routes will by default need 10 years of lawful residence before they can apply for ILR, according to analyses published this week by the law firms Lewis Silkin and Faegre Drinker. Settlement is the key step towards British citizenship, and it also removes visa conditions and repeated renewal fees.
The government describes settlement as something to be “earned” through contribution. Applicants on the 10-year route will normally need to show earnings of at least £12,571 a year (the personal tax allowance) in most of the years before applying, Lewis Silkin said.
Not all of the proposals from the original consultation survived. A suggested 15-year route for workers in jobs below degree level was dropped, the firm noted.
Who can settle faster
The framework includes shorter routes for some groups:
- Three years: very high earners on £125,141 or more, along with certain top-talent visa holders, according to Lewis Silkin and Faegre Drinker. The two firms describe the earnings test slightly differently, and the final wording will be in the Immigration Rules.
- Five years: people earning above £50,271, and public-service workers on national pay scales, including doctors, nurses, pharmacists, teachers and social workers. Partners, parents and children of British citizens also stay on a five-year route.
- Twenty years: people who have breached immigration rules as adults (for example by overstaying or working illegally), and in some cases people who have claimed specified public funds.
For the many Nigerian nurses and doctors in the NHS, the public-service route is the most important detail, because it keeps them on a five-year path.
What it means for Nigerian care workers
Nigeria has been one of the largest sources of overseas care workers in recent years, so the transitional rules matter a great deal. According to Lewis Silkin, care workers who entered or switched into the care route before 12 May 2025 can stay on a five-year path if they meet a £25,000 salary requirement along with sponsorship and employment conditions.
Those who fall short can apply for a further five-year Health and Care visa limited to genuine work in the sector. Care workers who arrived after that date move onto the 10-year route. Faegre Drinker said those below the salary threshold are estimated at around a quarter of the workers affected.
Separately, from 1 February 2027 care workers whose sponsor loses its licence will get up to 120 days to find a new job offer, Lewis Silkin reported. This is an issue that has hit many Nigerian workers stranded by sponsors who broke the rules.
Tougher conditions for everyone
Every applicant, whatever their route, will face stricter mandatory conditions. These include a clean UK criminal record, no outstanding debts to the government (including NHS charges and unpaid tax), a pass in the Life in the UK test, and English at CEFR level B2 instead of the current B1. The higher English level is due to apply to applications from 26 March 2027.
Children, people aged 65 and over, and people with a condition that prevents them from meeting the requirements are exempt from the English, Life in the UK and earnings tests.
What happens next
The framework is government policy, not yet law. As the Electronic Immigration Network pointed out, no Statement of Changes to the Immigration Rules putting it into effect has been laid yet. Ms Mahmood told MPs the changes would start to be laid from the December immigration rules, which means implementation is expected to take place through 2027.
Several important details are still to come. They include how earnings will be assessed, the definition of the “highest talent” group (which depends on a Migration Advisory Committee report due at the end of December), and how public-fund use will be treated. The consultation drew 204,667 responses, and most individual respondents opposed the changes.
People who already hold ILR are not affected. Pulse Nigeria noted that existing visas will not be cancelled automatically. Nigerians currently on the five-year path should check which route will apply to them and keep records of earnings, tax and residence. Where their position is unclear, they should get advice from a regulated immigration adviser.
Sources: UK Parliament (Home Secretary’s statement, 2 November 2026), Lewis Silkin, Faegre Drinker, Electronic Immigration Network, Pulse Nigeria.
