Settlement refers to a person’s right to live in the UK permanently without any immigration restrictions. It is also known as Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR).

Under these proposals, Settlement will no longer be granted automatically after a fixed period. Instead, migrants will have to earn settlement by meeting a set of criteria, and time on the pathway to settlement could be added or deducted based on further criteria.

In our response we have outlined our concerns with these proposals, as we believe that creating a longer and more complex pathway to settlement will increase precarity for our non-UK National clients, increasing the risk of destitution and continued or repeat homelessness. We also believe that the criteria set out in these proposals with exclude and penalised those who have experienced or are currently experiencing homelessness. Therefore, we have recommended that the Government consider past or current experiences of homelessness as a mitigating factor when considering if someone meets the criteria under the new framework.

Once the responses have been reviewed, the Government will publish its conclusions and outline the timeline for implementing the new system.