New rules making migrants wait longer to qualify for permanent settlement in the UK will apply to people already in the country, under government plans.
On Monday the government announced immigrants would now typically have to live in the UK for 10 years before applying for the right to stay here indefinitely – double the current five-year period.
It was previously unclear whether this would apply to the approximately 1.5 million foreign workers who have moved to the UK since 2020.
The BBC understands a document published in the coming weeks will make clear the government is preparing to apply the 10-year qualifying period to those who are already in the UK as well as to new visa applicants.
The move will be subject to a public consultation.
A government source said Home Secretary Yvette Cooper had for some time been concerned that under the current five-year process there is set to be a significant increase in settlement and citizenship applications in the next few years, reflecting the surge in immigration in the early years of this decade.
A policy document published on Monday said there would continue to be a five-year qualification period for non-UK dependents of British citizens.
There will also be shorter qualification periods for people who can show they have contributed to the UK's "economy and society".
