As of April 2016, migrants who wish to apply for settlement will be required to earn a minimum of £35,000 in order to qualify.
This will mean that migrants under Tier 2 of the points based system will no longer be automatically given the right to settlement as a result of five years residence in the UK; they will also be required to meet the proposed minimum threshold.
Furthermore, temporary permission to enter and remain in the UK will be capped at 6 years. Therefore, those who do not earn a minimum of £35,000 after 6 years of working in the UK will be ordered to leave.
There will be some categories of migrants who will be exempt from this minimum threshold.
Those who are exempt are:
- PhD-level scientists and researchers to qualify for settlement
- Workers in shortage occupation jobs (currently including specialist nurses, teachers and social workers)