The British government announced Monday that it will double the time many immigrants must wait before they can settle permanently in the country, though it exempted key workers and high earners from the changes.

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said people who come to the U.K. on work visas will have to wait a decade to be granted permanent residency status, which carries the right to work, study, access free health care and claim benefits. But a higher income can speed up the process. People who earn at least 50,000 pounds ($67,000) a year will only have to wait five years, as will public-sector workers including doctors, nurses and teachers. Immigrants on salaries above 125,000 pounds a year can apply for settlement after three years.

Mahmood said the changes will be introduced during 2027 and will restore fairness to the immigration system by linking the right to settle to an immigrant’s contribution to Britain.

She told lawmakers that her own parents came to the U.K.…