On 12 May 2025, the UK Government published its Immigration White Paper, “Restoring Control over the Immigration System”, revealing plans to make significant immigration changes during this parliament. Read our previous article summarising the proposals when the initial announcements were made. 

The proposed changes have shone another spotlight on our immigration policies and whether these serve to boost economic growth in Britain. The Immigration White Paper aims to create a more controlled and managed immigration system while also ensuring it is fair. However, what is considered fair for some, may not be for others and this will be a fine balancing act in immigration policymaking if the UK is to show the world it remains open for business. The emphasis in these plans is to reward those who make positive contributions to the UK economy and society, the correct balance of which will attract talent and wealth to the UK. 

In this article, we delve into the outlook for high-net-worth families living in the UK and those families considering a move to the UK.

Proposal to change the period to qualify for settlement and citizenship

What has generated significant public reaction is the Government’s plan to change the qualifying period for settlement and citizenship from five years to 10 years and suggesting that this may be applied retrospectively to those who are already in the UK. Notably, this proposed change will only apply to Points Based System migrants and their dependent family members. Therefore, it is not expected to apply to those under other visa routes, such as the partner/spouse of a British citizen, pre-settled status holders under the EU Settlement Scheme, or UK ancestry.

High-net-worth families currently living in the UK who are following the strict day counting requirement may find this proposed change unsettling. Families may well have planned their UK residency around applying for settlement (also known as indefinite leave to remain “ILR” or permanent residence) after spending five years in the UK. 

We are expecting lengthy consultations to occur in the coming months and the Government has indicated that further details will be published by the end of the year so there may be some time before these changes are implemented. We recommend that families continue monitoring their absences to ensure they comply with the absence requirement for settlement, which is not to spend more than 180 days outside the UK in any 12 month period (on a rolling basis) during the qualifying period. 

For high-net-worth families planning a move to the UK and to take advantage of the new FIG regime, the change to obtain settlement after 10 years means it will not be possible to obtain settlement without becoming subject to worldwide inheritance tax in the UK. This change, if implemented, will also make the UK the country with the longest period to obtain settlement among major developed countries.

However, it is worth highlighting that the change to increase the qualifying period for settlement to 10 years will be accompanied by rules allowing individuals the opportunity to reduce the qualifying period based on economic and social contributions to the UK. This “contribution concept” to obtain settlement sooner has worked in the past. We have previously seen this concept applied to visa routes to entice individuals to make further investments to the UK, referred to as “accelerated settlement”.

Additionally, the White Paper highlighted the need to “supercharge UK growth in strategic industries” with references made to key sectors like artificial intelligence, life science and clean energy. If these changes are implemented, there may be scope for families to consider opportunities for making economic contributions to the UK in these targeted industries, be it by work or investment, and/or to review philanthropic projects that contribute to the wider UK community, as part of their wider pre-arrival immigration and tax planning.

In a majority of cases, obtaining settlement is a pre-requisite of British citizenship. Similar proposals are being made to change the residency requirement to apply for British citizenship from five years to 10 years. There will also be opportunities to reduce this period through contributions to the UK economy and society. It is possible that earning contribution points for British citizenship will be more demanding than for settlement. The “contribution concept” has never been done before for British citizenship applications so it will be interesting to see the narrative adopted by this Government to ensure we do not appear to be offering “citizenship for sale”.

Changes to current visa regimes

Other proposed changes that might be relevant to high-net-worth families include the following.

• Under the Skilled Worker route, there will be changes to the job roles that can be sponsored. Previously, low skilled roles could be sponsored but there are firm plans to increase the skills level so that only job roles that are considered at degree level or above can be sponsored. This is unlikely going to affect principals of high-net-worth families but it may catch family offices. 
• There will be enhanced English language requirements across all visa types with extending the English language requirement to adult dependents for the first time. The English language level required is still relatively low (at beginners level) so it is unlikely to affect too many families.  
• There are also plans to change the period of grant on the Graduate visa route from two years to 18 months. This shortened period of grant means earlier planning is required if the individual wants to remain in the UK, such as looking for job opportunities that can be sponsored. Changes to existing visa routes could also open up immigration options to remain in the UK in the future.

Future Investor or Entrepreneur visa

Official Government publications have not alluded to any plans to revive the Investor route (closed in 2022) or the Entrepreneur route (closed in 2019). However, news articles have suggested that there may be plans in motion to introduce a new Investor visa. 

There are no further details about these plans but, if the theme of the Immigration White Paper is anything to go by, we could probably see the new Investor route being based around making investments that would “supercharge UK growth in key sectors” in artificial intelligence, life sciences and clean energy. Some form of accelerated settlement reintroduced to investors who contribute to the UK economy and society, would also be welcomed. 

One key point to note is that, in most cases, children are not eligible to apply for settlement in the UK unless both parents can qualify for settlement. Therefore, if there are plans to introduce opportunities to reduce the qualifying period for settlement for investors, the Government must also consider the position of dependent partners/spouses and provide them with opportunities to reduce their qualifying period of settlement in conjunction with the principal (main applicant). Otherwise, the children will not benefit, and this will likely influence relocation plans for a high-net-worth family.

We have seen many potential relocations to the UK paused or stopped in the face of a changing and unpredictable immigration system, so if the Government wants to attract experienced entrepreneurs, this point should be considered carefully.