“Over my career, I’ve seen people fleeing war, persecution and torture wait as long as 17 years for the security to rebuild their lives. I’ve seen what those years cost, and I hoped no one would ever have to face that again.”
For many of the 57 adults we’re supporting with therapy to rebuild their lives in the South West, settlement means, at last, being safe. Not safe for now, or until the next renewal, but safe for good. It means no longer having to prove repeatedly that they still need protection. No more fees, and no more wondering whether the ground will shift again. On 2nd November, this government moved that finish line, for some people by decades.
What the government has announced
Most people will now wait ten years rather than five before they can apply for settlement. For refugees who claimed asylum in the UK, the wait is longer still. On Core Protection (the new basic refugee status), the normal pathway will be 20 years, rising to 30 for people who arrived without permission, unless the Refugee Convention protects them. People who move into work, education or training may qualify after 10 years on a separate route, but time already spent on Core Protection won’t count. Refugees who claimed asylum before 2nd March 2026 will also move to Core Protection (Home Office, 2026). These are plans, not yet law, and the detailed rules are still to come.
People spoke clearly
More than 200,000 people responded to the consultation. 84% of individuals and 79% of organisations disagreed with the changes, rising to 89% among people with refugee status or humanitarian protection (IFF Research, 2026). People spoke clearly and they haven’t been heard.
Why this matters
In 24 years of working alongside people who have experienced multiple and compounding trauma, we’ve learned one thing above all: recovery starts with safety, trust and belonging. People need ground beneath their feet before they can begin to process what happened to them (Cox and Hill, 2025).
Telling someone their wait has gone from five years to twenty keeps their life on hold, with the threat of losing everything they’ve rebuilt hanging over them. Asking people to prove their “contribution” through earnings, B2-level English and the Life in the UK test can feel out of reach for someone still stabilising after torture or war. That isn’t because they lack the will. It’s because recovering from trauma takes time.
What we’re asking for
The Home Secretary has promised: “For as long as a genuine refugee requires protection in this country, we will provide it” (Mahmood, 2026). We welcome that. But protection alone isn’t enough to rebuild a life. Around the world, the protections built after the Second World War are being steadily eroded. The right to seek safety, and to rebuild a secure life, is a human right, not a privilege to be earned. When countries like ours weaken it, we weaken it for everyone.
The detailed rules are still being written, and the government has committed to engaging with the organisations that support vulnerable groups (Home Office, 2026).
No one should be penalised for their health
This government’s settlement plans will add years to someone’s wait if they need benefits while recovering from trauma. Specifically, we will be pressing for:
A trauma-informed health exemption. People recovering from trauma shouldn’t lose years because they need support. And no one should have to retell their trauma to qualify.
No penalty for how people arrived. For most people, there’s no safe route to the UK. They shouldn’t wait years longer because of it.
Promises kept. People who were told they were on a five-year route should keep it.
Our commitment doesn’t change
Our vision is a South West where anyone forced to cross borders to seek safety is met with care, not harm. When you give to Trauma Foundation South West, you help us offer specialist therapy for as long as people need it, work with skilled interpreters so people are heard in their own language, and support the staff and organisations around them.
Donate today and help make sure no one is left to struggle alone.
If you’re worried about how these changes could affect you, independent legal advice is important. Right to Remain has published a clear guide to what’s been announced so far. Available at: https://righttoremain.org.uk/earnedsettlement/
References
Cox, K. and Hill, N. (2025) ‘Beyond the clinic walls: the approach to refugee mental health at Trauma Foundation South West’, Clinical Psychology Forum, 393, pp. 4–7. doi:10.53841/bpscpf.2025.1.393.4.
Home Office (2026) A Fairer Pathway to Settlement: Government response to the consultation (CP 1707). London: Home Office. Available at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6ae90b0e5b14ba0182a272a4/A_Fairer_Pathway_to_Settlement_-_Government_response_to_the_consultation.pdf
IFF Research (2026) Earned Settlement: Public Consultation analysis. London: Home Office. Available at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6ae88073232b813648f37545/earned-settlement-public-consultation-findings-021126.pdf
Mahmood, S. (2026) Earned settlement. Oral statement to Parliament, 2 November. Available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/home-secretary-earned-settlement-statement