Thank you for considering taking part in our survey on the UK government's proposed changes to settlement and citizenship.

The UK government proposed changes to how migrants qualify for settlement (also known as Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) or settled status) and citizenship in May 2025. In addition, Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood announced in September 2025 that the government also plans to introduce new eligibility criteria for settlement/ILR.

The main changes proposed are:
  • Extending the time before you can apply for settlement (the “standard qualifying period”) from five years to ten years;
  • Introducing an “earned” model of settlement and citizenship, where migrants’ contributions to society and the economy may mean they qualify for settlement sooner;
  • Introducing new eligibility criteria for settlement, including: being in work; making a certain level of National Insurance contributions; not taking any benefits payments; learning English to a high standard; not having a criminal record; and volunteering in your local community.

Please note that these are still only proposals and are not in effect yet. No details have been published about who will be affected by these changes, including whether they will affect people who are already in the UK. The Government have promised a consultation on the changes in Autumn 2025.

Praxis, a migrant's rights' charity based in London, is conducting this survey to gather views from people who could be affected by the proposed changes. We’re particularly keen to hear from people who are living in the UK on a visa, who have refugee status, or other temporary status hoping to apply for settlement (ILR) one day.

We plan to use the findings from this survey to inform our campaign for shorter routes to settlement. This includes using the findings in the press, and in parliament.

Please answer the following questions based on your understanding of the proposals. Our survey has 17 questions and we estimate it will take about 7 minutes to fill in.

All responses are completely anonymous and will be treated in line with Praxis' privacy policy.

For more information, please contact: communications@praxis.org.uk.
 
 17% of survey complete.

T