New inquiry launched into govt’s intentions to change rules about ILR and citizenship

LONDON Nov 26: The House of Lords Justice and Home Affairs Committee has launched a new inquiry into settlement, citizenship, and integration, along with an accompanying call for evidence to inform its work. The Committee invites interested individuals and organisations to submit written evidence by 23 January 2026.

Meanwhile, the government’s consultation on how the current settlement system should be reformed and how those reforms should be implemented closes on 12 February 2026. Therefore, this is another opportunity for businesses, individuals, practitioners, representative bodies to contribute.

The Government had proposed changes to settlement and citizenship in the Immigration White Paper and the Policy Paper on asylum and returns. The House of Lords Justice and Home Affairs Committee is looking at these proposals as well as the government’s longer-term intentions relating to citizenship. The inquiry will also look at measures to aid integration and social cohesion in the processes that lead to permanent settlement and citizenship.

These issues affect the whole of the UK, and the Committee is interested to hear perspectives from all four nations. International comparisons and approaches are also of interest to the Committee. The Committee encourages those who have experience of the process of obtaining ILR and Citizenship to submit evidence.

Topics the Committee is seeking evidence on include:

Proposals in the Immigration White Paper and the Policy Paper on Asylum and Returns
British Settlement and Citizenship policy in a historical and international context
The Citizenship Process
Integration and Social Cohesion

The Committee invites interested individuals and organisations to submit written evidence by 23 January 2026. CLICK TO READ CALL FOR EVIDENCE AND SUBMIT EVIDENCE

Lord Foster of Bath, Chair of the Justice and Home Affairs Committee, said: “Polling shows that matters relating to Immigration and Asylum regularly rank as amongst the most important to British voters. The proposals that the Government are now consulting on envisage a major overhaul of the UK’s approach to settlement and citizenship. These changes will impact millions of people, including very many British citizens who have family members on track to secure settled status or citizenship in the UK. We want to know whether they will add more complexity to a system which is already baffling to many. It is crucial that the proposals are scrutinised comprehensively.

As well as the specific proposals outlined in the consultation, we are also interested in the Government’s longer-term intentions towards citizenship policy. The Committee has previously looked at aspects of the process of applying for ILR and citizenship, specifically matters relating to the Life in the UK test. This time around, we are looking at the process as a whole.

The UK is not alone in grappling with questions around migration and the contribution of newcomers. Much has been made of the inspiration of the Danish approach to settlement and integration, but the Committee wants to understand what other approaches can teach us. We want to know what effective integration looks like, and whether the UK has been promoting integration and citizenship effectively.

We are keen to hear from a wide variety of voices, in particular those with direct experience of obtaining British citizenship and successfully integrating into life in the UK.”

The Committee invites interested individuals and organisations to submit written evidence by 23 January 2026. CLICK TO READ CALL FOR EVIDENCE AND SUBMIT EVIDENCE