CARE WORKERS, UK, UK HOME OFFICE, ZIMBABWE

Zimbabwean Care Workers to Retain Five-Year UK Settlement Route Under New Immigration Plans

However, retaining the five-year route does not mean settlement is automatic. Care workers will still be required to meet the applicable immigration and settlement conditions, including the proposed English-language requirement at A-level standard.

By Staff Reporter, Harare · 3 Nov 2026

Zimbabwean care workers and others employed in the UK’s care sector will retain the existing five-year route to permanent settlement under proposed immigration reforms that will double the standard qualifying period for most migrants to 10 years.

The UK Home Office announced the proposed changes on Monday, saying permanent residency would no longer be granted automatically after five years but would instead have to be earned through stricter requirements.

Under the plans, care workers who meet the relevant visa requirements will remain eligible to apply for settlement after five years, meaning they will not be affected by the proposed extension of the standard qualifying period.

The exemption is significant for thousands of Zimbabweans and other foreign nationals working in Britain’s care sector, who could otherwise have faced a longer wait before qualifying for permanent residency.

However, retaining the five-year route does not mean settlement is automatic. Care workers will still be required to meet the applicable immigration and settlement conditions, including the proposed English-language requirement at A-level standard.

The reforms will introduce longer waiting periods for other categories of migrants. Those entering the UK illegally, including by small boats, could face waits of up to 30 years, while migrants claiming benefits would have to wait 20 years to qualify.

Migrants earning more than £50,000, skilled public service workers and refugees arriving through safe and legal routes will also be eligible for a five-year settlement route.

People with criminal records will be barred from obtaining permanent settlement under the proposals.

In a post on X, the Home Office said the right to live permanently in the UK would no longer be granted automatically after five years.

“Instead, it will be earned,” the department said.

The proposals are part of the UK government’s efforts to tighten immigration rules and make permanent settlement dependent on migrants meeting stricter economic, legal and integration requirements.