Points for settlement: what was proposed
Searches for an ILR points system are common, but no such system exists and none has been proposed. This guide sets out what the government has actually published: an earned settlement consultation built on a time adjustment model, and where that consultation has reached.
- Section
- ILR & Settlement
- Reading time
- 9 min
- Last checked
- 25 February 2026
- Source
- The published Immigration Rules and GOV.UK guidance, linked throughout this guide.
- Rowan does not
- Look at your own case, tell you which route to choose, or say what the Home Office will decide. This guide shows the published rules and where to read them.
In short
- There is no points system for settlement, and the consultation does not propose one.
- The proposal is a time adjustment model: a 10-year default, moved up or down.
- The consultation closed on 12 February 2026 and no government response has been published.
- Under the proposal, B2 English and the Life in the UK test would both be mandatory and could not be traded against other factors.
There is no points-based system for settlement. The government's earned settlement consultation, which ran from 20 November 2025 to 12 February 2026, proposes a different mechanism: a default qualifying period of 10 years instead of 5, adjusted up or down against a published list of criteria. GOV.UK says the responses are still being analysed and no outcome has been published, so nothing in the proposal is law. The one settlement change that has been made is the English requirement rising from B1 to B2 from 26 March 2027.
The Short Answer
Settlement is not scored in points today. Each route sets its own requirements, and the published rules are on the GOV.UK indefinite leave to remain page.
Nor is a points system being proposed. The government's consultation document, A fairer pathway to settlement, describes a time adjustment model instead: a baseline qualifying period that is shortened or lengthened by listed factors. Nobody accumulates a score, and there is no threshold to reach.
Where the Proposal Has Reached
- The 2025 immigration white paper, Restoring control over the immigration system, introduced the idea that settlement should be earned rather than granted automatically after a fixed period.
- The consultation ran from 20 November 2025 to 11:59pm on 12 February 2026.
- GOV.UK states: “We are analysing your feedback. Visit this page again soon to download the outcome to this public feedback.” No outcome has been published.
Until an outcome is published and the Immigration Rules are changed, the qualifying periods in the current rules are the ones that apply. See our guide to the proposed 5 to 10 year change.
What the Consultation Proposes
The consultation says: “The default qualifying period for settlement will be increased from the current 5 years to 10 years.” Against that baseline it lists adjustments.
Proposed reductions
- Income above £125,140 for 3 years: minus 7 years
- Income above £50,270 for 3 years: minus 5 years
- Global Talent and Innovator Founder, with 3 years' continuous residence: minus 7 years
- Partner, parent or child of a British citizen: minus 5 years
- Hong Kong British National (Overseas) route: minus 5 years
- Public service employment at RQF level 6 or above, over 5 years: minus 5 years
- Community volunteering: minus 3 to 5 years
- English at C1 level: minus 1 year
Proposed increases
- Claiming public funds for under 12 months: plus 5 years
- Claiming public funds for over 12 months: plus 10 years
- Illegal entry: plus up to 20 years
- Entry as a visitor: plus up to 20 years
- Overstaying by 6 months or more: plus up to 20 years
The consultation also proposes a 20-year baseline for people with refugee status, with reductions available. Settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme is stated to be out of scope for both the consultation and the planned reforms.
Two Requirements That Could Not Be Traded
The consultation proposes that applicants must meet English at B2 level and pass the Life in the UK test, and that neither could be traded off against other factors. That is different from the reductions above, which are described as adjustments to time.
The One Change That Has Been Made
Separately from the consultation, the English requirement for settlement rises from B1 to B2. The Home Office announced this on 5 March 2026 and it takes effect from 26 March 2027, on routes including Skilled Worker, Scale-up, Global Talent and Long Residence. Its news story describes B2 as the A level equivalent standard, raised from the GCSE level standard.
For work routes the higher standard came earlier: B2 has been required for new Skilled Worker applications since 8 January 2026. Approved tests are listed in the GOV.UK secure English language test guidance. See our English language tests guide.
What Is Not Known
The consultation asks questions rather than answering them, so several things have no published answer:
- Transitional arrangements. The consultation seeks views on whether people already on a settlement pathway should be treated differently. It does not state an answer.
- Final figures. The reductions and increases above are consultation proposals, not rules. They may change or be dropped.
- Timing. No commencement date has been published for any change to the qualifying period.
Changes to the Immigration Rules are published as statements of changes in the GOV.UK statement of changes collection, which is where a change of this kind would appear.
Related Guides
Questions and answers
Is there a points system for settlement?
No. Settlement today is not scored in points, and the government's earned settlement consultation says explicitly that it is not proposing a points system either. It proposes a time adjustment model: a baseline qualifying period that moves up or down.
What did the consultation propose instead?
A default qualifying period of 10 years rather than 5, with listed reductions and increases. For example, income above £125,140 for 3 years is listed as minus 7 years, and claiming public funds for over 12 months is listed as plus 10 years.
Has any of this become law?
No. The consultation ran from 20 November 2025 to 12 February 2026. GOV.UK says the feedback is being analysed and no outcome has been published. The change to the qualifying period remains a proposal.
What has actually changed?
One thing, and it is separate from the qualifying period. The English requirement for settlement rises from B1 to B2 from 26 March 2027 on routes including Skilled Worker, Scale-up, Global Talent and Long Residence. That was laid in the Immigration Rules on 5 March 2026 and is not yet in force.
This guide is general information about published immigration rules. It is not advice about an individual application under s.82 Immigration and Asylum Act 1999, and Rowan is not regulated by the Immigration Advice Authority. Immigration rules change several times a year. For advice on a particular situation, contact an adviser authorised by the Immigration Advice Authority or an immigration solicitor. Always check GOV.UK for the authoritative current rules.