In force
Current Immigration Rules or guidance that already govern a live application.
Last reviewed:
Status-led policy index
ILR updates and rule trackers
This page indexes the site's current ILR updates pages. It separates what is in force, what has a published future start date, what remains only a proposal, and what is still unknown.
How to read this updates index
“Updates” can mean very different things in immigration content. A change is not legally operative just because it appears in a headline, speech or social post. We therefore sort update topics into four status labels and only list trackers already supported by a primary GOV.UK or Home Office source.
Announced future change
Official rule text exists, but it applies only from a stated future date or to later applications.
Proposal or consultation
Government is consulting or floating a model. This is not current eligibility law.
Unknown
Transition, scope or implementation details have not yet been confirmed in operative official text.
Current trackers on this site
Mixed: in force, announced future change, proposal and unknown
New ILR rules: separate current law from proposals
A general tracker distinguishing current Immigration Rules, future changes, consultation proposals and unconfirmed claims.
Official anchors: Immigration Rules; Earned Settlement consultation.
Mixed: in force, announced future change and proposal
Skilled Worker ILR new rules: current route, future change and proposal
A Skilled Worker-specific tracker covering current settlement rules, the published 26 March 2027 English change and the separate earned-settlement proposal.
Official anchors: Appendix Skilled Worker; Skilled Worker settlement overview.
Proposal or consultation, with some points still unknown
Earned Settlement: proposal tracker, not a calculator of current rights
A dedicated page on the earned-settlement consultation and why it should not be treated as current law.
Official anchors: Earned Settlement consultation; Immigration Rules.
What is currently in force, future or only proposed
| Topic | Status at 18 August 2026 | Where to check |
|---|---|---|
| Current route-specific ILR requirements | In force | Immigration Rules |
| Skilled Worker settlement sponsor and salary rules | In force | Appendix Skilled Worker |
| Skilled Worker settlement English at B2 from 26 March 2027 | Announced future change | Appendix Skilled Worker |
| Earned Settlement model | Proposal or consultation | Earned Settlement consultation |
| Transitions for many future earned-settlement cohorts | Unknown unless and until official operative text is published | Consultation page |
Use a source hierarchy before changing a plan
Different official publications have different jobs. The live Immigration Rules state the requirements. A Statement of Changes can amend those Rules and normally includes commencement and transitional wording. Route pages and caseworker guidance explain the process and how decision-makers approach the text. A consultation asks questions about a possible model; it does not itself replace the Rules.
- Start with operative rule text. Confirm the appendix, paragraph and version that apply to the route and application date.
- Read the effective date. A published amendment can be official but still irrelevant to an application made before it starts.
- Look for transitional protection. Check whether the text distinguishes existing permission, pending applications, dependants or earlier grants.
- Use guidance for implementation. Guidance can clarify the evidence and decision process, but it should be read alongside the Rule.
- Label everything else accurately. A speech, policy paper, consultation response or press report may signal direction without settling the final legal wording.
This hierarchy is why a tracker may keep two statements side by side: a current rule an applicant can use today and a future or proposed change that deserves planning attention but cannot decide today's application.
What we record when an update changes status
A reliable update needs more than a new headline. Before moving an item from “proposal” to “announced future change”, or from “future” to “in force”, the review should record the official instrument, publication date, commencement date, affected routes and any application-date or grant-date boundary.
Scope
Which route, applicant group and decision is covered? A Skilled Worker settlement amendment should not automatically be applied to a partner, BN(O), Long Residence or EUSS case.
Timing
Does the change depend on the application date, the date permission was granted or another transition point? Store the boundary with the rule rather than mentioning it only in prose.
Product impact
Decide whether the change affects a calculator input, result wording, evidence prompt or only an explanatory guide. Calculation changes need boundary tests before release.
Unresolved points
Record what the official text does not answer. An unknown transition should remain unknown instead of becoming a guessed date or a promise that the most favourable outcome will apply.
Readers should still open the official source on the day they act. This index helps classify information and find the relevant tracker; it is not a historical archive of every rule version and cannot determine which provision applies to an unusual individual history.
What this page does not do
- It does not add new policy stories that lack primary-source support.
- It does not convert a consultation, speech or rumour into current law.
- It does not replace the route-specific appendix you must use for a real application.
If you need route planning rather than policy tracking, start withguides, Skilled Worker, Long Residence or when can I apply for ILR.
Review standard
This index was reviewed on 18 August 2026 against official GOV.UK and Home Office material already cited by the linked tracker pages. If a future Statement of Changes, commencement provision or consultation response creates a new verified topic, it can be added later with its own clearly labelled status.