Nepal UK
The Home Secretary, Shabana Mahmood, told the Commons on Monday 2 November that the route to indefinite leave to remain (ILR) will generally take ten years rather than five, but with softer treatment for some groups than the government proposed a year ago. For Nepalese families planning a future in Britain, the detail of who qualifies for a shorter wait is now the practical question.
What was announced
The Home Office published its response to the earned-settlement consultation, "A Fairer Pathway to Settlement", on 2 November. According to reporting on the statement, the standard qualifying period rises from five years to ten, and applicants must demonstrate contribution: a record of National Insurance payments, English language ability, no criminal record and no outstanding government debts. Nepali Link, reporting the statement, says people who broke immigration rules could face waits of up to 20 years.
Some routes are shorter. Reports say workers earning above £50,000 a year, and those making significant contributions in health or education, can still apply after five years, while earnings above £125,000 can qualify after three. On care workers, a source of particular concern, a proposed 15-year wait for those already in the UK has been dropped: those who arrived before May 2025 and earn at least £25,000 can apply after five years. Workers on low incomes who would have faced 15 years now face ten. Hong Kong British National (Overseas) visa holders, armed forces members and certain Windrush cases keep existing arrangements, according to those reports.
Context
The package follows the proposals set out on 20 November 2025, when Ms Mahmood described settling in the UK as "not a right, but a privilege" that "must be earned". The final version softens parts of that plan but retains the doubling of the default wait.
Who in the Nepali community should pay attention
NepalUK has not found published figures on how many Nepali nationals fall into each category, so readers should not assume a particular impact on the community. The groups most likely to need specific advice are those in health and social care, those on skilled-worker or graduate routes planning settlement, and anyone in the final stages of a five-year clock. Armed forces members are reported to keep existing arrangements; whether that extends to Gurkha veterans' families has not been confirmed in the sources reviewed, and should not be assumed.
What is not yet known
No start date or transitional rules have been confirmed in the reports reviewed; Nepali Link says the detailed legal provisions and commencement date await Home Office confirmation. The thresholds above come from press and community reports of the statement rather than from the policy paper itself, which NepalUK could not open in this run. They must be checked against the paper on GOV.UK and the forthcoming Statement of Changes to the Immigration Rules before anything is relied upon. Campaigners and migrant charities have criticised longer waits; the Hong Kong Watch group, for instance, says retrospective application could penalise many applicants even with exemptions.
Practical steps
Readers are advised to take advice from an OISC- or SRA-regulated adviser, keep records of earnings, National Insurance and English-language evidence, and avoid paying for unregulated "guarantees". This is general information, not legal advice.
