In response to public pressure, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown has announced more retired Nepalese Gurkha soldiers will be allowed to settle in Britain.
Interior minister Jacqui Smith told parliament that former Gurkhas who retired before 1997 with more than four years' service would now be eligible to apply to live in Britain.
She said that meant up to 15,000 veterans might now apply.
Actress Joanna Lumley, 63, whose father served with the Gurkhas, was the public face of a campaign for the change in policy.
She called Prime Minister Gordon Brown a "brave man who has made today a brave decision on behalf of the bravest of the brave".
The Gurkhas have been fighting for Britain since 1815.
Last month, parliament backed an opposition motion to give all Gurkha veterans equal rights to stay in Britain.
The vote was not legally binding but it fuelled a growing campaign to force the government to change its mind.
Mrs Smith said the first Gurkhas to be given the right to settle in Britain were those who served on or after 1 July 1997, when their base was moved to Britain from Hong Kong.
Since then, more than 6000 Gurkhas and their families have been given the right to live in Britain.
