James Lamont is an associate at Vanessa Ganguin Immigration Law
Organisations and individuals have until 12 February to respond to the government’s consultation on overhauling UK settlement. For the construction industry this isn’t a niche immigration issue: proposals directly impact recruitment, retention, employment costs and the viability of building a career in the UK.
“These proposals are a wrecking ball swinging at a sector which least deserves it”
Most work and family visas currently allow people to settle after five years, letting them live and work in the UK without requirements such as sponsorship by an employer. One of the home secretary’s proposals is to increase the baseline qualifying period for settlement for many trades in the construction sector (those skilled below degree level such as welders, builders, electricians, plumbers and tilers) from five to 15 years.
Adding the layers of complexity proposed to a previously simple five-year route would make coming to work in the UK less attractive. It would also potentially triple immigration and sponsorship costs, already among the most expensive in the world.
You can respond to the public consultation on the proposals in a personal or organisational capacity before 12 February 2026 through this link. You can read more about the proposals and questions in the consultation here to help formulate your responses.
Responses are anonymised, but you can describe your company and the scale of your internationally recruited workforce. Most questions are multiple choice, but you can also comment on proposals and the impact on people’s lives and the sector. These include:
- Tripling sponsorship costs and admin
Instead of sponsoring a key tradesperson for five years until they settle, firms could face 10, 15 or more years of repeat sponsorship and visa renewals, legal fees, Immigration Skills Charge and bureaucracy. Under current rules a small sponsor spends £2,925 on sponsorship costs for a worker in the five years until they settle. This would balloon to £8,775 over 15 years (more if these fees rise). For medium to large contractors the current £7,125 for five years would rise to at least £21,375. These figures don’t include legal or visa application fees.
- Damage to workforce stability and morale
The changes are set to apply to everyone, including immigrants already in the UK and not yet settled by April, from when changes are due to start being implemented. One of the consultation questions is whether there should be transitional provisions for them. Long-term precarity makes it harder to attract and retain good workers. If the possibility of ever settling is uncertain, European countries offering clearer, shorter routes to a stable immigration status become better options.
- Worsening skills shortages
Many construction jobs, such as decorators, electricians and steel erectors, are on the Temporary Shortage List as they are below degree level in skill. This means workers cannot bring relatives with them to the UK and employers have no clarity on how much longer they may recruit these roles from abroad. The government proposes these roles are pushed onto the longest 15-year settlement track. Further discouraging such skillsets from coming to the UK would worsen skills shortages.
Rare opportunity
These proposals are a wrecking ball swinging at a sector which least deserves it. Construction firms contribute perhaps more than any other sector of the economy towards training the local workforce via schemes such as the CITB levy and apprenticeships, yet these are long-term investments in the future of the industry and won’t fill current skill gaps.
Those working in the industry have a rare opportunity with this online consultation to help shape immigration policies and explain impacts on staffing projects, meeting deadlines, and safety and quality standards.
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