UK Government plans sweeping immigration changes
By : Tiffany Carpenter
On 11 May 2025, the Prime Minister announced plans to make huge changes to the UK’s immigration policy in the continued effort to lower net migration. It will have wide ranging effects, with the Prime Minister indicating that “Every area of the immigration system, including work, family and study, will be tightened up so we have more control. Enforcement will be tougher than ever and migration numbers will fall”. The government’s announcement can be found here:
The White Paper published the next day, “Restoring control over the immigration system,” contains a series of suggested changes, including:
Skilled workers
- Increasing the threshold for skilled worker visas to graduate level (RQF 6 and above)
- Only allowing a narrow list of critical shortage occupations onto the Temporary Shortage List, alongside workforce strategies to increase training and participation rates in the UK
- Immigration Salary List (discounts) will be abolished
- Closing the social care visa route to overseas recruitment
- Restricting dependants for lower skilled workers on the temporary shortage list and increasing salary thresholds for all visa holders seeking to bring in dependants and
- Increasing English language requirements for visa holders and dependants
- Immigration Skills Charge to be increased by 32% (in line with inflation)
Innovator Founders, Global Talent, High Potential Individual (HPI), and similar routes
- Increase the numbers of people accepted, e.g. for research interns and those working in the field of artificial intelligence
- Double the number of workers that an overseas business can send to the UK with the aim of establishing a presence in the UK
- Explore a targeted and capped expansion of the HPI route
- Streamline the visa process, e.g. no need to travel to a VAC for a second time to collect a passport with a physical endorsement (from late summer 2025 onwards) – initially for study and skilled work, with other routes to follow
Students
- Introduce new measures to ensure sponsoring institutions are only offering places to genuine students who will complete their course
- Introducing a levy on higher education provider income, to be reinvested into education and skills
- Sponsoring institutions must demonstrate that they are considering the local impacts of recruiting international students
- Stronger requirements for short term English language students to show they are genuine students and not simply coming to claim asylum
- Those on the Graduate route can only remain for 18 months
Family migration
- New family policy to be introduced before the end of the year
- Ensure only those in genuine, subsisting relationships qualify
- Ensure an appropriate level of English language
- Ensure the family can support themselves without relying on the taxpayer
- Explore tightening the suitability rules to ensure people are of good character
- Reduce the number of grants based on exceptional circumstances by introducing a clear framework
- Limit family claims from people who circumvent the rules, for example by coming as a short-term visitor and then seeking to stay based on a family relationship
Asylum
- New policies to be introduced, requiring greater scrutiny for those who claim asylum towards the end of their visa, even if no material change in their home country warrants such a claim
Deportation
- Simplify the rules and process for deporting a foreign national offender, and increase number of deportations
- Take targeted action against any recent arrivals who commit crimes in the UK
English language
- Introduce new requirements across a broad range of immigration routes, both for main applicants and dependents, to ensure better knowledge of English
- Increase from B1 English to B2 for Skilled Workers and other work routes where English is required
- A1 English will be required for all adult dependents of workers and students, and will be increased over time
- Requirements to demonstrate progression from A2 (for any visa extension) and B1 for settlement.
- Increase existing requirements for settlement from B1 to B2.
Other changes
- New route allowing bereaved parents to stay in the UK with immediate settlement, if they tragically lost their child
- Ensuring children who have been in the UK for some time, turn 18 and discover they do not have status, are fully supported and able to regularise their status and settle. This will also include a clear pathway for those children in care and care leavers.
Settlement
- A privilege, not a right
- Under the Point-Based system, the qualifying period will be increased to 10 years
- Family members of British citizens will have a shorter pathway to settlement, if compliant with the requirements, and will be 5 years
Citizenship
- A privilege, not a right
- Increase qualifying period
- Allow those with greater contributions to the UK to qualify sooner
- Review the Life in the UK test and how it operates
- Reduce financial barriers for young adults, who have lived here though their childhood, from accessing British nationality.
This is a result of the government’s commitment to lower net migration, which has drastically increased in recent years.
It is important to note that these are currently proposals. Any changes to the current rules must be reviewed and approved by Parliament before becoming law. However, it is clear that the government intends to make sweeping changes which, in many cases, will make it more difficult for immigrants to enter or stay in the UK.
If you are considering making an application to enter, stay, settle, or get citizenship, we highly recommend speaking to a lawyer. They can assess your situation, offer tailored advice and help prepare the required forms and documents. If you would like to discuss your situation with us, please contact our specialist immigration team today at 0208 995 3556.