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Written question asked by Steve Darling (Liberal Democrat) on Friday, 10 July 2026, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Tuesday, 14 July 2026. It was answered by Mike Tapp (Labour) on Thursday, 16 July 2026 on behalf of the Home Office.

Visas: Skilled Workers

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans the Government has to provide full grandfathering or full transitional protection for Skilled Worker visa holders and their dependants who were already granted leave before any earned settlement rule change, by allowing them to apply for settlement under the 5-year qualifying period that applied when they entered or extended their visas.

Answer

The government’s proposals for settlement reform were set out in the Command Paper ‘A Fairer Pathway to Settlement’ (CP1448) and were the subject of a public consultation between 20 November 2025 and 12 February 2026.

We received over 200,000 responses from the public and organisations and are now considering all responses received.  This will help inform the development of the final earned settlement model.

Once the final model has been decided, the Government will communicate the outcome publicly.  This will also include both economic and equality impact assessments.

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
17827
Session
2026-27
Subjects
Visas Skilled workers
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk