Retain the 5-year path to ILR and British citizenship for Skilled Worker migrants, but extend the no recourse to public funds period to 10 years. We believe this would balance and uphold the UK’s promise to migrants to make it their home via 5-year ILR path while easing pressure on public resources.

We believe extending the ILR period to 10 years breaks trust with Skilled Workers who built and planned their lives around the 5 year route. To address public spending concerns, we suggest delaying access to public funds for a total of 10 years for those who have newly obtained ILR or citizenship. We believe this would preserve the original promise, deters misuse, and maintain public confidence. We believe it would also protect genuine migrants from reactive policy changes driven by rising net migration and spending pressures.