Andy Burnham officially became UK prime minister on 20 July 2026 and reappointed Shabana Mahmood as home secretary. Her retention immediately raised an important question for migrants: will the new government continue Labour’s plans to make work visas, permanent settlement and British citizenship more difficult?
The short answer is that Burnham’s arrival in Downing Street has not yet changed the core Immigration Rules. Skilled Worker visa requirements remain the same, the existing five-year route to Indefinite Leave to Remain remains legally available, and no new British citizenship rules have been introduced.
However, the political signs point towards continued strict immigration control. Burnham supported the government’s Immigration and Asylum Bill before becoming prime minister, while Mahmood remains in charge of the Home Office. The area most likely to be reconsidered is whether tougher settlement rules should apply retrospectively to migrants already living legally in the UK.
UK immigration under Andy Burnham: position at a glance
| Immigration area | Current position on 22 July 2026 | Change made by Burnham |
| Skilled Worker visa | Existing salary, skill and English-language requirements continue | No change |
| Skilled Worker ILR | Five-year qualifying period remains in force | No change |
| Proposed 10-year settlement route | Consultation completed, but final rules have not been published | No final decision |
| British citizenship | Existing naturalisation requirements continue | No change |
| Care-worker recruitment | New overseas recruitment remains closed | No reversal |
| Graduate visa | Two years until 31 December 2026; 18 months from 1 January 2027 | No reversal announced |
| Settlement English requirement | B2 speaking and listening from 26 March 2027 | Already legislated before Burnham |
| Immigration and Asylum Bill | Passed its Commons second reading but is not yet fully enacted | Burnham voted in favour |
| Digital identity scheme | Burnham has scrapped the planned national digital ID project | First clear immigration-related policy change |
The official collection of Immigration Rule amendments was last updated on 9 July 2026—before Burnham became prime minister. No Burnham-era Statement of Changes has yet been published.
Has Burnham introduced new Skilled Worker visa rules?
No. Becoming prime minister does not automatically alter visa conditions, sponsorship requirements or pending applications.
The current Skilled Worker system continues to require applicants to have:
- A job offer from a Home Office-approved sponsor.
- A valid Certificate of Sponsorship.
- An eligible occupation.
- The required salary and occupational going rate.
- English-language ability at the relevant level.
- Compliance with suitability, financial and other applicable requirements.
Current Skilled Worker requirements
| Requirement | Current rule |
| Normal skill level | The job must normally be skilled to RQF Level 6 or above |
| Medium-skilled jobs | Generally eligible only where included on the Immigration Salary List or Temporary Shortage List, subject to transitional exceptions |
| Standard salary | At least £41,700 a year or the occupation’s full going rate, whichever is higher |
| General reduced threshold | Normally at least £33,400 where a permitted discount applies |
| Relevant non-STEM PhD | At least £37,500 and 90% of the going rate |
| Relevant STEM PhD | At least £33,400 and 80% of the going rate |
| New entrants | At least £33,400 and 70% of the going rate, subject to the four-year limit and other conditions |
| Certain healthcare and education jobs | At least £25,000 or the applicable national-pay-scale going rate, whichever is higher |
| English for new applicants | B2 in reading, writing, speaking and listening |
| Visa duration | Up to five years at a time, with extensions possible |
The government’s current Skilled Worker guidance confirms the standard salary of £41,700 and the restrictions on medium-skilled occupations.
Applicants granted Skilled Worker permission under older rules may benefit from transitional salary, skill or English-language arrangements. For example, someone who held Skilled Worker permission before 8 January 2026 may continue to rely on B1 English when extending or updating their visa in qualifying circumstances.
What about dependants?
Workers in most higher-skilled occupations can still bring qualifying partners and children.
However, new applicants sponsored in medium-skilled jobs on the Immigration Salary List or Temporary Shortage List are normally prevented from bringing dependants. Separate restrictions also apply to care workers and senior care workers.
Burnham has not announced any relaxation of these restrictions.
Care-worker visas remain closed to new overseas recruitment
The closure of overseas recruitment for care workers and senior care workers remains in effect.
Since 22 July 2025, a person cannot normally apply from outside the UK for sponsorship as a care worker or senior care worker. Limited in-country switching remains available until 22 July 2028 where, among other requirements, the worker has legally worked for the sponsoring employer in the relevant care role for at least three months.
Existing sponsored care workers may still be able to extend their permission or change employers where they meet the relevant requirements. No Burnham government reversal has been announced.
Has the Skilled Worker ILR period increased to ten years?
No. The ten-year settlement period is not currently the law.
Under the Immigration Rules in force on 22 July 2026, a Skilled Worker can still apply for ILR after completing five continuous qualifying years.
Applicants must normally:
- Complete five years on qualifying work routes.
- Spend no more than 180 days outside the UK in any 12-month period, subject to permitted exceptions.
- Meet the applicable ILR salary and going-rate requirement.
- Remain required by an approved sponsor for the foreseeable future.
- Pass the Life in the UK Test.
- Satisfy suitability and continuous-residence requirements.
The current Immigration Rules expressly retain the five years.
Current Skilled Worker ILR salary requirements
The normal ILR salary requirement is the higher of:
- £41,700 a year; or
- The full going rate for the occupation.
Lower thresholds continue for certain Immigration Salary List workers, healthcare and education workers, and people protected by older transitional arrangements. These can include thresholds of £33,400, £31,300 or £25,000, depending on the applicant’s immigration history and occupation.
What has happened to Mahmood’s ten-year “earned settlement” plan?
The Home Office consultation proposed replacing automatic settlement after a fixed period with a contribution-based model. The consultation closed on 12 February 2026, but the government is still officially analysing the responses. No final outcome or complete Immigration Rules have been published.
Therefore, the following remain proposals rather than current rules:
| Proposed category | Proposed settlement period |
| Standard qualifying period | 10 years |
| Work below RQF Level 6 | 15 years |
| Taxable income above £50,270 for three years | Possible five-year route |
| Taxable income above £125,140 for three years | Possible three-year route |
| Specified skilled public-service occupation for five years | Possible five-year route |
| Global Talent or Innovator Founder | Possible three-year route |
| Public funds claimed for less than 12 months | Potential 15-year route |
| Public funds claimed for more than 12 months | Potential 20-year route |
| Illegal entry, visitor entry or substantial overstaying | Potential route of up to 30 years |
| Refugees under the core-protection model | Proposed 20-year route |
The consultation also proposed mandatory conditions including a clean criminal record, sustained National Insurance contributions, no outstanding debt to the state and B2 English.
Would the changes affect people already in the UK?
Mahmood’s original proposal was that the new system could apply to people already in Britain who had not obtained ILR when the new rules commenced. However, the consultation specifically requested views on transitional protection.
Burnham has criticised retrospective changes that could leave migrants who entered under the five-year route in “a sense of limbo”. He said before becoming prime minister that he had not reached a final decision.
This means the most important unresolved questions are:
- Whether existing Skilled Workers will retain the five-year route.
- Whether care workers already in the UK will receive an exemption.
- Whether new rules will apply only to people entering after a future commencement date.
- Whether ILR will still be granted after five years but access to benefits will be delayed.
- Whether people close to completing five years will receive transitional protection.
Until formal rules are published, a Skilled Worker who currently qualifies after five years can continue to apply under the existing provisions.
One settlement change is already confirmed for 2027
A higher English-language requirement for settlement has already been placed in the Immigration Rules.
For relevant applications made on or after 26 March 2027, Skilled Workers and qualifying dependants will generally need B2 English in speaking and listening, unless an exemption applies.
This change was enacted under the previous Starmer government in March 2026. It was not introduced by Burnham, although his government could theoretically amend it before implementation. No such reversal has been announced.
Have British citizenship rules changed under Burnham?
No. No new naturalisation legislation has been introduced since Burnham became prime minister.
Current citizenship requirements for most ILR holders
| Requirement | Current position |
| Residence | At least five years in the UK |
| Immigration status | Normally ILR or settled status for at least 12 months |
| English | B1 or higher, an accepted English-taught degree or an applicable exemption |
| Knowledge of the UK | Life in the UK Test |
| Absences | Normally no more than 450 days in five years and 90 days in the final 12 months |
| Physical presence | Applicant should have been physically present in the UK exactly five years before applying |
| Conduct | Must satisfy the good-character requirement |
| Future intention | Normally intend to continue living in the UK |
| Current fee | £1,839, including the citizenship ceremony fee |
The existing requirements are confirmed in the official
Applicants married to British citizens
A person married to or in a civil partnership with a British citizen can normally apply after three years’ UK residence as soon as they hold ILR or settled status. They do not normally need to wait 12 months after receiving ILR.
Their permitted absences are normally no more than 270 days during the three-year period and 90 days during the final year.
Good-character restrictions remain strict
Citizenship applicants who apply from 10 February 2025 and previously entered the UK illegally will normally be refused, regardless of how long ago the illegal entry occurred. Similar guidance applies to certain arrivals made without required entry clearance or authorisation following a dangerous journey.
This policy predates Burnham and remains in force.
Could citizenship become contribution-based?
The 2025 Immigration White Paper proposed extending the contribution-based approach from settlement to citizenship. However, no detailed citizenship model has yet been adopted.
The earned-settlement consultation confirms that changes to naturalisation would require primary legislation amending the British Nationality Act 1981. The government said citizenship reform should follow final decisions on settlement.
For now:
- There is no ten-year citizenship residence requirement.
- There is no new income threshold for citizenship.
- There is no citizenship points system.
- B1 remains the normal English standard for naturalisation.
- The 12-month ILR waiting period remains for applicants not married to British citizens.
Nevertheless, if ILR is eventually delayed from five to ten years, citizenship would also be delayed indirectly because most migrants must obtain ILR before naturalising.
Graduate visa and other inherited changes
Burnham has not reversed the already-enacted reduction of the Graduate visa.
Applicants who apply on or before 31 December 2026 can receive two years. Applications submitted from 1 January 2027 will normally receive 18 months. PhD and other doctoral graduates will continue to receive three years.
The latest pre-Burnham Statement of Changes, HC 259, will also introduce several technical amendments on 30 July and 3 August 2026. These include EUSS, family, Graduate-route and suitability changes. Its Skilled Worker amendments do not change the £41,700 salary threshold, RQF Level 6 policy or five-year settlement period. The package was published under the Starmer government.
Burnham’s first immigration-related reversal: digital ID
Burnham has scrapped Starmer’s proposed national digital identity scheme, with resources redirected towards cost-of-living policies.
This does not change a person’s visa, immigration status or right to work. Employers must continue conducting right-to-work checks through existing documents and online Home Office services. Burnham is also expected to retain plans to extend right-to-work responsibilities to parts of the gig economy.
Will Shabana Mahmood continue her strict policies?
The evidence currently suggests broad continuity, but possibly with changes to retrospective settlement provisions.
Why strict policies are likely to continue
First, Mahmood was formally reappointed as Home Secretary on 20 July 2026.
Second, Burnham voted in favour of the Immigration and Asylum Bill at its second reading on 13 July. The Bill passed by 264 votes to 90.
The Bill proposes:
- Replacing much of the existing asylum appeals structure with an Independent Immigration Appeals Authority staffed by adjudicators.
- Tightening Article 8 family- and private-life claims.
- Giving greater weight to immigration control and deportation.
- Narrowly defining family relationships in many Article 8 cases.
- Making it harder for foreign criminals to prevent removal.
- Tightening modern-slavery protections where claims are considered abusive or delayed.
- Recovering asylum-support costs from people who can afford to contribute.
However, the Bill is still going through Parliament. Passing second reading does not mean every provision is already law.
Where Burnham may take a different approach
Burnham appears supportive of stronger borders, enforcement and lower migration, but he has shown more concern about changing the settlement expectations of people already legally in the UK.
The most likely outcome is therefore:
- Skilled Worker restrictions remain.
- Overseas care-worker recruitment remains closed.
- Graduate visa reductions continue.
- Tougher asylum and Article 8 legislation continues through Parliament.
- B2 settlement English proceeds in March 2027.
- The ten-year earned-settlement model continues to be developed.
- Transitional arrangements or exemptions for existing migrants may be expanded.
- The retrospective 15-year route for existing care workers may be softened or reconsidered.
Final assessment
Andy Burnham’s appointment has not produced an immediate immigration-rule reset. As of 22 July 2026, Skilled Worker visa holders still have a five-year legal route to ILR, citizenship rules remain unchanged, and the ten-year earned-settlement system remains a proposal awaiting final government decisions.
Keeping Shabana Mahmood as Home Secretary and Burnham’s support for the Immigration and Asylum Bill strongly indicate that the government will continue a restrictive immigration strategy. But it is not yet possible to say that Burnham has approved every element of Mahmood’s settlement plan—particularly its application to migrants already in the UK.
For existing Skilled Workers, the crucial document will be the government’s eventual response to the earned-settlement consultation and the accompanying Statement of Changes. Until that is published, claims that the five-year ILR route has already been abolished are legally incorrect.