UK to double the wait for settlement — "Earned Settlement" reform lands autumn 2026, and it will hit Nepali visa holders hard

The Home Office's "Earned Settlement" reform — published as Command Paper CP 1448, A Fairer Pathway to Settlement — will replace the long-standing 5-year route to Indefinite Leave to Remain with a 10-year baseline for most visa categories, pending Parliamentary scrutiny expected to conclude in autumn 2026. Reductions apply for high earners (£125,140+ can qualify in 3 years) and public-sector "frontline" workers such as NHS staff (5 years), while everyone else faces a longer, contribution-and-character-assessed path. For the tens of thousands of Nepalis on work, family, and graduate routes in the UK — many of whom came expecting a 5-year settlement horizon — this is a direct hit to life planning, mortgage eligibility, and family reunification timelines. The consultation drew over 200,000 public responses before closing in February 2026, underscoring how contested this policy is.

The core controversy: does "earning" settlement through character, integration, contribution and residence create a fairer system, or does it lock lower-paid migrant workers — including many Nepali care workers, students-turned-workers, and small business owners — into a decade of temporary status with reduced rights and higher cumulative visa fees.