Written questions by Davies.

What assessment has she made of the potential merits of using the certificate of sponsorship start date to start the qualifying period for care workers on skilled worker visas to apply for indefinite leave to remain.

The requirement to hold a certificate of sponsorship is part of the eligibility criteria of the skilled worker route and does not confer any permission to enter or stay in the UK. An applicant for settlement must show a period of lawful continuous residence.The new Immigration Rules will end overseas recruitment for Care Workers and take effect on 22 July. Transitional arrangements will allow in country switching until 2028 and individuals will continue to be able to extend their permission. The qualification period for Indefinite Leave to Remain begins when the individuals first entered the UK in the Skilled Worker route.The Immigration White Paper sets out proposed changes to settlement rules. We will consult on the details of the policy later this year. These are important changes, we recognise how important this is to people, and will listen to what people tell us in that consultation. We will provide further details of how the scheme will work after that.

What assessment she has made of the potential merits of introducing a concession for care workers in the qualifying time for indefinite leave to remain due to delays in UK visa and immigration processing times for skilled worker visas.

There are no delays in processing straightforward Health and Care Worker visa applications.Section 3C leave, as defined in Section 3C of the Immigration Act 1971, automatically extends a person’s immigration permission if they have submitted an application to extend or vary their permission before the person’s existing permission expires. Time spent on the skilled worker route under section 3C can be counted towards settlement.We will be consulting on the earned settlement scheme later this year and further details on the proposed scheme will be provided at that time.

If she will make an assessment of the potential merits of allowing the value of a primary residential property be included within Family Visa minimum financial requirement calculations.

Those using the family route to come to the UK must be capable of being independently supported by their sponsor. A couple’s income or cash savings are the most reliable and practicable indicator of their financial status and independence for the purposes of this requirement.Equity in a property cannot be used to meet the MIR. Owning a capital asset does not in itself provide any means to support a partner. However, any income received from the rent of a property can be counted towards the requirement, provided the property is not, or will not be, the couple’s main residence in the UK.On 10 September 2024, the Home Secretary commissioned the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) to review the financial requirements in the Family Immigration Rules.There will be no changes to the current threshold of £29,000, or the ways in which the Minimum Income Requirement can be met, until the MAC review is complete.