When: 16 December 2025
In May 2025, the Government published the new Immigration White Paper entitled ‘Restoring Control Over the Immigration System’. The 82-page document contains a huge number of proposed policies targeting a wide range of migrant groups, including the Government’s intention to extend indefinite leave to remain (ILR) from 5 to 10 years, potentially affecting almost 2 million migrants who arrived in the UK from 2021. This announcement came with no timeline and no details as to how it would be implemented.
Since then, there have already been some changes, such as the ending of overseas recruitment of social care workers in July 2025, a reduction of the jobs eligible for Skilled Worker visa sponsorship, and changes to salary thresholds.
With the proposal came the announcement of an ‘Earned Settlement’ model where migrants’ eligibility for ILR would be determined by their profession, the amount of tax they pay, and other contributions like volunteering. This all against the backdrop of removing no recourse to public funds from those that do get granted ILR. The government promised a public consultation on this model before it came into effect, which is now open.
The scale of these changes and the chaotic way in which they have been communicated is overwhelming, even for those who have been following the changes since May. This event will unpack what changes have already come into effect, what is still at the proposal stage, and what you can do if you are concerned you may be impacted. We will hear from legal experts from Kingsley Napley, ILPA and Wesley Grykk on the:
- Actual changes since the Immigration White Paper announcement
- Proposed changes under ‘A Fairer Pathway to Settlement’ and the Earned Settlement model
- How to share your views through the Earned Settlement Government consultation and the inquiry by the Justice and Home Affairs Select Committee
- Implementation of changes and scope for legal challenge
We will also hear from members of the Not a Stranger Campaign, who have been organising to challenge the Immigration White Paper proposals since June.
Please note the information provided at this event will be general and no legal advice will be provided or considered as legal advice.
Who should join?
Anyone who is going to be affected by the proposed changes, and is unsure of what they can do or how they can make an impact through the consultations.
Meet the experts
Alison Hunter is a partner at Wesley Gryk Solicitors LLP. Her practice covers all UK immigration and nationality law with a particular emphasis on applications for family members, international adoption law and applications with a European law element. She is currently co-chair of the European Working Group of the Immigration Law Practitioners Association
Zoe Bantleman- ILPA
Zoe Bantleman is a barrister, Legal Director of the Immigration Law Practitioners’ Association (ILPA), a trustee of Safe Passage International, and an editor of the Journal of Immigration, Asylum and Nationality Law. Her most recent publication ‘An Island of Strangers’ offers early reflections on the Labour government’s immigration White Paper, analysing recent announcements and changes to immigration rules in the shadow cast by racist riots and the rise of the radical right.
Nick Rollason- Kingsley Napley
Nick Rollason is a partner and head of immigration at Kingsley Napley LLP in London. He has over 25 years’ experience in advising across all UK immigration routes, providing strategic advice on UK and global immigration and citizenship issues to corporations and individuals and often advising in the most complex of cases.
Nick is a Trustee of ILPA and is listed in the Chambers UK Hall of Fame for Immigration and ranked as a leading individual in Legal 500 UK, Lexology Index and Spears 500. Nick is a regular press commentator, conference speaker and contributor to immigration publications. He is Contributing Editor for the ICLG Corporate Immigration Guide. He has given evidence to the UK Parliament on skilled migration and is a former consultant to the OECD and the International Labour Organisation on migration issues. He is a former Chair of the IBA’s Immigration and Nationality Law Committee and is on the Anchor Group of the European Immigration Lawyers Network(EILN) . Nick holds a degree in History from the University of Oxford and a Masters in Public Policy from The London School of Economics.
Not a Stranger Campaign
Not a Stranger is a migrant-led campaigning group established in June 2025 in response to the UK Government’s Immigration White Paper (IWP) proposal.
This event is organised by theNot a Stranger campaign with support from Migrants’ Rights Network and Pan-African Workers Association.