Foreigners jostle to secure UK residency rights before rules tighten

The United Kingdom has seen a surge in the number of migrants applying for citizenship and permanent residency rights in anticipation of stricter government regulations. According to Home Office data, 199,628 individuals were granted settlement rights in the year leading up to June 2026, marking a 24% increase compared to the previous year and the highest since 2010.

These individuals can then apply for British citizenship after a year of holding permanent settlement status. Overall, 245,520 people were granted British citizenship during the same period, a slight decline from the previous year but a 17% increase in applications, reaching a record 315,224.

However, the number of applications for indefinite leave to remain, which grants permanent residency and a pathway to citizenship, rose by 44% and faced a 50% decrease in temporary asylum seekers housed in UK hotels compared to the previous year. This downward trend in asylum seekers has been a flashpoint for community tensions.

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood's proposed reforms to indefinite leave to remain, which would double the qualification period from five to 10 years, have sparked controversy within the governing Labour Party. The government is currently consulting on these stricter settlement rules, with new Prime Minister Andy Burnham facing pressure from Labour MPs to reconsider the proposed changes.

While the Conservatives and Reform UK parties suggest they would revoke settlement rights from current holders, the UK continues to attract a significant number of applications from various nationalities, with the US among the top countries, registering over 9,400 applications for citizenship. Migration expert Nuni Jorgensen from the Migration Observatory at the University of Oxford suggests that the increase in citizenship applications could be attributed to rising migration trends, particularly among European Union nationals, and the uncertainty created by ongoing debates about restricting rights or removing individuals without citizenship.