300,000 children face 10-year wait for settled status under UK plans, says IPPR

"More than 300,000 children already living in the UK could be forced to wait 10 years for settled status under proposed changes to the Home Office's earned settlement policy, according to an analysis by a centre left thinktank. The Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) found that nearly a quarter (23%) of the 1.35 million people already on routes to settlement are children, most of them dependants on their families' work visas."

"But about 40 Labour MPs have raised concerns about the impact of the proposals on migrants already living here, describing the retrospective approach as un-British and moving the goalposts. Settlement, also known as indefinite leave to remain, gives a person the right to live, work and study in the UK and apply for benefits if they are eligible. If applied retrospectively, the changes could penalise people who arrived under different rules and made life-changing decisions based on the expectations at that time."

"The thinktank claims the proposals would extend insecurity for families, with damaging consequences for integration, educational opportunities and child poverty. Hundreds of thousands of children could now grow up without secure status, limiting their ability to plan for the future. Parents could be locked out of the support their families need through restricted access to benefits, increasing the risk of child poverty among households on low incomes including care workers and other essential roles."

More than 300,000 children in the UK could be forced to wait 10 years for settled status under proposed Home Office changes to the earned settlement policy. Nearly 23% of the 1.35 million people on routes to settlement are children, mostly dependants on family work visas. Ministers plan to double the qualifying period for permanent residence from five to 10 years, and to extend it to 15 years for below-graduate-level jobs. About 40 Labour MPs oppose retrospective application, warning it would penalise migrants who made life decisions under previous rules. Delayed settlement risks increased insecurity, reduced access to higher education, restricted benefits, and higher child poverty.

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