The Home Office has published on 24 June 2025, “THE STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN IMMIGRATION
RULES PRESENTED TO PARLIAMENT ON 24 JUNE 2025 (HC 836)”.

Changes are being made to:

• Appendix International Armed Forces and International Civilian Employees
• Appendix Long Residence
• Appendix Continuous Residence
• Appendix Private Life
• EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS): Changes to the continuous qualifying period definition
• Part 9: Changes to make refusals of applications or cancellation of permission mandatory for people excluded from asylum or humanitarian protection or non-refoulement.

These changes will be implemented on various dates from 16 July 2025.

Changes to Appendix International Armed Forces and International Civilian Employees

A group of approximately 50 US Department of Energy federal employees and civilian subcontractors will be enabled to come to the UK to work on US military equipment. They will be recognised as civilian employees of an International Force. Due to the nature of their work, they will be enabled to enter the UK within 24 hours of an incident, which currently takes up to two working days (when a super priority application service is used).

Changes to Appendix Long Residence

Time spent as a British citizen will be considered lawful presence for the purpose of long residence. However, time spent where that British citizenship has subsequently been deprived for reasons such as using deception to obtain citizenship should not count as lawful presence.

Changes to Appendix Continuous Residence

Time, with permission, spent in the Crown Dependencies (the Isle of Man, Jersey, and Guernsey), on a route equivalent to those in the UK, will be treated as lawful presence in the UK in the future.

Changes to Appendix Private Life

Young people (those over 18) will be able to apply to settle under the five year private life rules if they were granted permission in the UK on the basis of their family or private life before 20 June 2022 and if they meet the half-life test (have spent at least half their life in the UK) at date of application or met it in a previous application.

Children who have lived for 7 years in the UK will be allowed to qualify for settlement after 5 years.

EU Settlement Scheme- Changes to the Continuous Qualifying Period Definition

Changes are being made to simplify the assessment of continuous residence. These changes will enable a person with pre-settled status to be granted settled status where they have been resident in the UK for at least 30 months in total in the most recent 60-month period. This can be any 30 months within those 60 months.

These changes will apply under the automated process (where a pre-settled status holder is automatically granted settled status), as well as where a pre-settled status holder applies for settled status.

Part 9: Changes to Make Refusals of Applications or Cancellation of Permission Mandatory for PeopleExcluded from Asylum or Humanitarian Protection or Non-refoulement

The new changes will amend part 9.5.1 of the Immigration Rules. The amendment will make itmandatory to refuse a person’s application for entry clearance, permission to enter or stay, who isexcluded from asylum or humanitarian protection, or non-refoulement.

The new changes will also amend part 9.5.2 of the Immigration Rules. The amendment will make itmandatory to cancel a person’s entry clearance or permission to enter or stay who was excluded fromasylum or humanitarian protection, or non-refoulement.

Other Minor Changes

There will be other minor changes to the following:

• Sponsoring under the family Immigration Rules
• Correction to the relationship requirements for dependent partners in the Appendix Student and the Appendix Graduate
• Appendix FM-SE: Family members, Specified evidence – changes to which previous English Language test certificates can be used as evidence
• Electronic Travel Authorisations – amendment to validity requirements

These include fixing drafting errors in the Family Immigration Rules in Appendix Adult DependentRelative and Appendix FM, and in Appendix Student and Appendix Graduate routes, updating the ruleson who can act as a sponsor under the EUSS, bringing immigration rules in line with caseworker’s guidance and provide for which previous English language test certificates can be used as evidence, and clarifying that Electronic Travel Authorisations (ETAs) are required for certain types of passengers travelling to the UK from Ireland.