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Written question asked by Abtisam Mohamed (Labour) on Wednesday, 13 May 2026, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 18 May 2026 (named day). It was answered by Mike Tapp (Labour) on Monday, 18 May 2026 on behalf of the Home Office.

Immigration: Public Finance

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the £10 billion figure cited in her speech of 5 March 2026 on the Earned Settlement proposals represents direct savings to public finances, or a long-term estimate of the fiscal cost of a specific group of migrants over their lifetime.

Answer

Proposals for introducing an earned settlement model, as set out in the Command Paper “A Fairer Pathway to Settlement” (CP1448), were subject to a public consultation, which opened on 20 November 2025 and closed on 12 February 2026.

We are currently considering the results of that consultation, and have been and continue to work closely with other departments across government on the impacts of Earned Settlement, including with the Department for Work and Pensions and the Department for Education in relation to the Child Poverty Strategy.

The Home Secretary’s speech on 5 March 2026 referred to the lifetime net fiscal costs of care workers and their adult dependants expected to settle between 2026 and 2030. This is based on findings from the Migration Advisory Committee published here: Estimated lifetime net fiscal costs for care workers and their adult dependants - GOV.UK.

As with all significant policy changes, the proposals will be subject to both economic impact assessments and equality impact assessments, which we will make available when the full response to the consultation is published.

Once the final model has been decided, the Government will communicate the outcome publicly.

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
685
Session
2026-27
Related items
Grouped for answer
Yes
Subjects
Costs Immigration Public finance
Contains statistics
Yes
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk