Conclusion 33

We are concerned about the plans to apply the proposed Earned Settlement model to people who are already in the country. It is in the interests of the Home Office, and the UK’s reputation, to be consistent in the application of immigration rules and policy. We agree that the Government needs to weigh and consider the broader impacts of settlement policy on the UK— including what is fair to British people and people already settled here— and understand that extending routes to settlement for at least some people already in the UK is essential for the Government to be able to meet its objective of reducing the impact of the large number of immigrants who arrived to the UK in recent years. It is not clear that applying these changes to people who arrived prior to introduction of new immigration rules in 2021—after the UK’s exit from the EU—is necessary for the Government to achieve its stated policy aims, and so it is difficult to see a justification for applying the changes to this cohort. (Conclusion, Paragraph 120)