Time adjustment, not a points system
A 'points-based settlement system' is widely reported and does not exist. The government's own consultation rules it out and proposes something different. This guide sets out what was actually published, where the process stands, and what is still in force.
- Section
- ILR & Settlement
- Reading time
- 11 min
- Last checked
- 10 March 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. The consultation says the model is time adjustment, not points.
- A 10-year baseline qualifying period was proposed, with listed reductions and increases.
- The consultation closed on 12 February 2026 and the responses are being analysed.
- Nothing has changed: the qualifying periods now in force are 5 years on most routes.
- People who already hold settlement are out of scope, and it cannot be revoked by this.
- The EU Settlement Scheme and Windrush are excluded from the reforms.
Start with the correction: there is no proposed points system for settlement. The government's consultation, 'A Fairer Pathway to Settlement', says the earned settlement system 'will be based on a time adjustment model' — a 10-year baseline qualifying period that listed circumstances shorten or lengthen. It ran from 20 November 2025 to 12 February 2026 and GOV.UK says the responses are being analysed. Nothing has changed in the Immigration Rules, and people who already hold settlement are out of scope.
The Correction First
The 2025 immigration white paper proposed reforming settlement. The government then published a consultation, A Fairer Pathway to Settlement, on 20 November 2025. It rules out a points system in as many words: "the earned settlement system will be based on a ‘time adjustment’ model".
That distinction is not pedantry. A points system scores you against a threshold, so a strong score in one area can make up for a weak one in another. A time adjustment model does not score anything: it starts from a number of years and moves that number up or down according to circumstances listed in the rules. Guides describing how to "maximise your points" for settlement are describing a scheme nobody has proposed.
The requirements in force today are unchanged and are published on GOV.UK.
What the Consultation Actually Proposed
All of this is a proposal that has been consulted on and not enacted. It is set out here because it is what the document says, not because it is the law.
The baseline
"The default qualifying period for settlement will be increased from the current 5 years to 10 years, with exceptions for certain groups or individuals."
Circumstances that would shorten it
- A taxable income above £125,140 for the 3 years before applying: a reduction of 7 years.
- A taxable income above £50,270 for the 3 years before applying: a reduction of 5 years.
- A specified public service occupation: a reduction of 5 years.
- English at CEFR level C1: a reduction of 1 year.
- Volunteering or community contribution: a reduction of 3 to 5 years.
- Being the partner, parent or child of a British citizen: a reduction of 5 years.
- Global Talent and Innovator Founder: a reduction of 7 years, with 3 years' continuous residence.
- Hong Kong British National (Overseas): a reduction of 5 years, which was not put out for consultation.
Circumstances that would lengthen it
- Use of public funds for less than 12 months: plus 5 years.
- Use of public funds for more than 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.
- A Skilled Worker in a role below RQF level 6: a baseline of 15 years.
Who is outside it
People who already hold settlement are out of scope, and the consultation says their status cannot be revoked by these reforms. The EU Settlement Scheme and Windrush are excluded. Some vulnerable groups, victims of domestic abuse and bereaved partners keep their existing pathways.
Where the Process Has Got To
The consultation closed at 11:59pm on 12 February 2026. GOV.UK's page for it says "We are analysing your feedback", and that the outcome will be published there. After that, any change would need a statement of changes to the Immigration Rules, with a commencement date in it.
On existing applicants the consultation is candid: the reforms "would mean that those who are due to reach settlement in the coming months and years would be subject to the new requirements for earned settlement, as soon as our immigration rules have changed", and it then asks for views on whether transitional measures should apply. Nothing has been decided. Rowan will not guess.
What Is In Force Today
- Skilled Worker, Health and Care Worker, Scale-up Worker, UK Ancestry, Minister of Religion, International Sportsperson, partner on a family visa, British National (Overseas), refugee or humanitarian protection status: 5 years.
- Global Talent with an exceptional talent endorsement or an eligible prize, and Innovator Founder: 3 years. Global Talent with an exceptional promise endorsement: 5 years.
- Long residence: 10 years of continuous lawful residence.
- Settlement fee: £3,226 for each person applying.
- English at CEFR B1, rising to B2 for applications made on or after 26 March 2027 — a change that has been made, in HC 1691.
Next Steps
Nothing here is a rule yet, and the thing most often described — a points system — is not what was proposed. When the consultation outcome is published it will appear on the GOV.UK consultation page, and any rule change in a statement of changes. Rowan does not predict either.
Related guides:
Questions and answers
What is the points-based ILR system?
There is no points-based settlement system, and the government's own consultation says there will not be one. 'A Fairer Pathway to Settlement', published 20 November 2025, states that 'the earned settlement system will be based on a time adjustment model'. Time adjustment means a baseline qualifying period that gets shorter or longer according to listed circumstances, not points scored against a threshold. The phrase 'points-based settlement' is a misreading that spread widely.
When will the points-based ILR system be introduced?
None of it has been introduced, and there is no date. The consultation on earned settlement ran from 20 November 2025 to 11:59pm on 12 February 2026, and GOV.UK says the responses are being analysed and the outcome will be published on the consultation page. Any change would then need a statement of changes to the Immigration Rules.
Will the qualifying period change from 5 years to 10 years?
That is what was consulted on: 'The default qualifying period for settlement will be increased from the current 5 years to 10 years, with exceptions for certain groups or individuals.' The consultation also set out reductions that would bring it back down for some people, and increases that would push it up for others. None of it is law, and the current qualifying periods are unchanged.
Will existing visa holders be affected?
The consultation is direct about the starting position: reforms 'would mean that those who are due to reach settlement in the coming months and years would be subject to the new requirements for earned settlement, as soon as our immigration rules have changed'. It then asks for views on whether transitional measures should apply. So no transitional protection has been decided either way. People who already hold settlement are out of scope and cannot have it revoked by this, and the EU Settlement Scheme and Windrush are excluded from the reforms.
What is a time adjustment model?
A baseline qualifying period that moves. The consultation proposed a 10-year baseline, then listed circumstances that would cut it — a taxable income above £125,140 for the 3 years before applying would reduce it by 7 years, an income above £50,270 by 5 years, C1 English by 1 year, being the partner, parent or child of a British citizen by 5 years — and circumstances that would extend it, such as using public funds, illegal entry, or overstaying by 6 months or more. Nothing is scored or added up; each listed circumstance moves the number of years.
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.