Migrant workers will no longer be able to settle in the UK based on the amount of time they have spent in that country, the British government announced Wednesday.

From now on, migrant workers with tier-2 (skilled worker) visas will only be allowed to settle in the UK if they earn a minimum salary of £35,000.

The new salary threshold means that only the brightest and best workers, who strengthen the UK economy, will be able to apply to stay in the UK permanently.

“Settlement in the UK is a privilege", Immigration Minister Damian Green was quoted as saying in a statement received from the British High Commission in Dhaka yesterday.

"We are sweeping aside the idea that everyone who comes here to work can settle, and instead reserving this important right only for the brightest and the best".

As a result of the tightened immigration rules, those who earn less than £35,000 will only have permission to work in the UK for a maximum of six years.

The new rules, however, exempt all workers in shortage occupation jobs (currently including specialist nurses, teachers) from the minimum settlement salary threshold of £35,000.

The UK government also intends to continue to provide a direct route to settlement for investors, entrepreneurs, and exceptionally talented migrant workers under tier-1.

It will also allow those who enter as PhD-level scientists and researchers to qualify for settlement without having to meet the £35,000 salary threshold.

The government is reforming all routes of entry to the UK to bring immigration levels under control and reduce net migration from the hundreds of thousands to the tens of thousands