Earned settlement: what the 10-year ILR reform means for the Life in the UK Test

On 2 November 2026 the Home Secretary told Parliament that settlement in the UK will have to be "earned", and the government published its final policy the same day. The headline is the move from 5 to 10 years as the starting point for indefinite leave to remain (ILR).

For anyone preparing for the Life in the UK Test, three points matter most: the test stays, the English level goes up, and no start date has been published. The current rules still apply today.

This guide sets out what the Home Secretary's statement and the government response to the consultation say, checked on 6 November 2026. It is not legal advice. For your own case, use GOV.UK or a registered immigration adviser.

What has changed so far

Nothing in the day-to-day process has changed yet. GOV.UK's visa pages still describe today's rules, and the consultation page says the next step is to turn the framework into detailed rules. Technical guidance and a full impact assessment are promised before implementation.

So treat the figures below as announced policy, not as rules you can apply under today. We do not guess a date here, and details may still move when the Immigration Rules are published.

The announced pathways

These are the main routes in the government response. Refugees have a separate table, covered further down.

The 3, 5 and 10-year paths are closed to anyone who has accessed public funds in the last 5 years or committed a qualifying immigration breach. The response says those breaches will include overstaying, breaching a visa condition and using deception in an application, with the full list to appear in the Immigration Rules.

Eligible public service occupations are listed in Annex C of the response. They are health and education roles paid on national pay scales, such as doctors, nurses, pharmacists and teachers.

A British connection includes partners and parents of British citizens and people on the UK Ancestry route. The response says they keep a 5-year path, provided they meet the route's requirements and the mandatory ones.

The Long Residence route will close. Today you can qualify after 10 years of continuous lawful residence, including time on Student and Graduate routes. Under the new framework, time on temporary routes will no longer build towards settlement in that way.

What it says about the Life in the UK Test

Everyone on the new framework must meet a set of mandatory requirements: good character and suitability, no outstanding government debt, English, the Life in the UK Test and a sustained contribution. Higher pay or public service cannot make up for missing one of them.

On the test itself, the response says the requirement "will continue, with the existing exemptions". The government is also reviewing the test so that it better reflects life in modern Britain. It said in July 2026 that the test would be updated and that the current contract runs until 2027. Neither document gives a date for a new version.

Some things about the test have not been touched by this announcement:

• 24 questions in 45 minutes, with a pass mark of 75% (18 correct).
• A fee of £50 per attempt, with questions drawn from the official handbook.
• One pass for both settlement and citizenship, using the same reference number.

The response does not say that a past pass will stop counting. GOV.UK says today that you do not need to take the test again if you have passed it.

English moves to B2

There are two separate things to keep apart here, and the first is already in the text of the rules.

A date already in the rules. On the routes that use Appendix KoLL, a speaking and listening test must be at B1 for settlement applications made before 26 March 2027, and at B2 for applications made on or after that date. Not every route uses this appendix. The BN(O) route, for example, has its own wording, which still says B1.

The wider reform. The government response says B2 will be the standard English requirement for settlement, with the existing exemptions for children, people aged 65 and over, and people with a physical or mental condition. Having C1 will not shorten the path.

Skilled Worker and Health and Care today. GOV.UK says you do not need to prove your English again when you settle on these visas, because you did so when you applied. You still need the test if you are 18 to 64, and a dependent partner needs both. The response does not spell out how this will work once B2 is the standard, so watch for the detail.

Citizenship. GOV.UK's English page currently names B1 or above for citizenship. The B2 rules above are about settlement.

Who keeps their own arrangements

The response keeps several groups outside the main pathways. Most of them will still have to meet the stronger general requirements, including English at B2, unless an exemption applies.

• Hong Kong BN(O): settlement after 5 years, subject to route requirements.
• Afghan schemes: immediate settlement, subject to scheme eligibility.
• Windrush: no qualifying period.
• HM Armed Forces: at least 4 years' service, with 5 years for partners and children.
• Victims of domestic abuse and bereaved partners: can still apply straight away where eligible.
• EU Settlement Scheme and Turkish ECAA: listed among the routes the reform does not affect. The ECAA route is closed to new main applicants.

Children who settle as dependants of their parents are not expected to meet the English or Life in the UK requirements.

Care, health and education workers

Care workers who entered or switched into the route before the Immigration White Paper of May 2025 keep the existing 5-year period if they meet the salary (£25,000 a year), sponsorship and employment requirements. They still have to meet the stronger general requirements. Those who do not qualify after 5 years can apply for a further 5-year Health and Care visa for genuine work in the sector.

A similar one-off arrangement covers specified health and education workers in roles that do not make the permanent public service list.

Anyone who switched into the care route after that point is on the standard 10-year pathway, according to the worked example in the response.

Refugees

The response treats refugees separately, and this is the biggest change for the test.

• Today, people settling as refugees or with humanitarian protection are exempt from the test for settlement, though it is usually needed for citizenship.
• Under the framework, refugees are generally expected to meet the same core requirements, including English at B2 and knowledge of life in the UK.
• Those admitted through designated safe and legal routes get a 5-year path. People admitted through the UK Resettlement Scheme need English at A2 and remain exempt from the test until a version at that level exists.
• People granted protection after claiming asylum in the UK move onto Core Protection, with a 20-year path. Sustained work, education or training can move them onto a route with a 10-year path. Illegal entry ordinarily adds 10 years, with a safeguard for people protected by Article 31 of the Refugee Convention.

The response says more detail will come before implementation, including how time already spent in the UK will count for some people.

If you are preparing now

1. Find your route first. The reform affects a Skilled Worker, a BN(O) holder and someone with settled status very differently.
2. Read the source yourself. Salary thresholds and exceptions are in the response on the consultation page. Summaries, this one included, leave things out.
3. Keep track of your English. If your route needs a qualification and you may apply on or after 26 March 2027, check the level in the rules for your route.
4. Remember the test does not expire. You will need it for settlement or citizenship on almost every route. GOV.UK sets no end date for a pass, so you can take it when you are ready and keep the reference number for whichever application comes first.
5. Watch for the rules. The start date and the transitional detail will come with further publications.

Preparing for the test

The Life in the UK app has 305 questions written from the official handbook, plus 24-question mock tests in 45 minutes with the 75% pass mark. Questions are in English, as in the real test, and you can read a translation and explanation in any of 14 languages. It is ours, and independent of the Home Office. Each day you get one free session or a 10-question test and the first topic with explanations; Premium removes the daily limit and opens all sections, mock tests and flashcards.

It works offline and does not need an account. If you are worried about how to remember the handbook, start with what the research says about revision.

Sources

• GOV.UK — Earned settlement statement by the Home Secretary, 2 November 2026.
• GOV.UK — Earned settlement: consultation outcome and government response: pathways, thresholds, Annex C, transitional arrangements, refugee pathways and next steps.
• GOV.UK — Immigration Rules Appendix KoLL: B1 and B2 by application date.
• GOV.UK — Immigration Rules Appendix Hong Kong British National (Overseas): the English level on the BN(O) route.
• GOV.UK — Indefinite leave to remain on a Skilled Worker, Health and Care Worker, T2 or Tier 2 visa: the test and English for this route today.
• GOV.UK — Prove your knowledge of English and Life in the UK Test.
• UK Parliament — Written question 15781: the updated test and the contract.

This guide describes an announced policy that has not yet come into force. Rules and details can change, so check GOV.UK before you book or apply.