The Government’s plans for major immigration reforms
The Government published its white paper on proposals for the reform of the current Immigration Rules on 12 May 2025. This follows hot on the heels of big changes to the Immigration Rules in 2024 and this year.
Keir Starmer in his speech on the same day promised that the UK would “take back control” of its borders and stated that immigration needs to be cut back significantly. The white paper refers to a net migrant high of +90,6000 in June 2023 with the figures for the year ended June 2024 being +728,000. He said that the proposals would deliver an immigration system that was “controlled, selective and fair”.
The programme of proposed change is a very ambitious one. It is apparently designed to bring down net migration, tackle abuses and exploitation, strengthen the UK border and encourage economic growth whilst also strongly encouraging UK employers to train and upskill their existing UK workforce rather than simply increasing recruitment from abroad.
Employers in various sectors with current skills shortages (for example adult social care) will almost certainly struggle even more to recruit workers with the required skills from amongst UK workers. Employers will need to review their training policies with a view to rapid upskilling of their domestic workforce as well as future hiring strategies.
We take a look at the key proposals in the 82-page document below and how it may affect businesses, learning institutions and individuals who want to come to the UK to work, study or join family in the UK.
Skilled Workers
The skills threshold for the skilled worker visa regime was previously set at RQF level 6 (degree level) but was lowered to RQF level 3 (A-level equivalent).
The Government plans to raise the skills level back to RQF level 6 and above and salary thresholds will also rise yet again.
The Immigration Salary List (previously known as the Shortage Occupation List) which lists those occupations which are considered in short supply in the UK and therefore permitted sponsoring employers to pay discounted salaries below the normal thresholds for those occupations will be abolished. The Government plans to ask the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) to undertake a review of salary requirements (including discounts) to ensure that international recruitment is never a cheaper alternative to fair pay.
Those already in the UK on skilled worker visas will continue to be able to renew their visas or change employment in the currently eligible occupations below RQF 6 however new applicants from overseas or those switching from other immigration routes will have to follow the new rules.
A new Temporary Shortage List will be established to provide time limited access to the Points-Based Immigration System. Occupations below RQF level 6 must be listed on the Temporary Shortage Occupation List in order to gain access.
The Government will establish the Labour Market Evidence Group (LME Group) which will include MAC and the Department for Work and Pensions to gather and share evidence about the state of the workforce, training levels and participation by the domestic labour market. It will focus on sectors and occupations which are central to industrial strategy, which currently have high levels of reliance on migration for their workforce or which are anticipated to in the future and will make recommendations about sectors or occupations where workforce strategies are needed or where the labour market is currently falling.
Adult Social Care (Health and Care Worker Visa)
The white paper says that the introduction of this visa route has led to significant concerns about abuse and exploitation of workers. In April 2025, the Government restricted access to overseas recruitment for England-based jobs unless employers have first tried to recruit from the in-country redeployment pool in England.
The Government plans to end overseas recruitment for care workers and senior care workers and new applications from abroad will be closed. For a transition period until 2028, visa extensions and in-country switching will be permitted for those already in the UK with working rights however this will be kept under review.
Refugee Employment
The Government plans to explore reforms to allow a limited pool of UNHCR refugees living overseas to apply for employment through existing sponsored worker routes, if they have the skills to do so.
Immigration Skills Charge
Immigration skills charge payable by employers when sponsoring a skilled worker has not increased since 2017. It will be increased by 32 percent in line with inflation.
Global Talent
The current immigration system included targeted routes for individuals who are considered to be leaders and future leaders in key fields through the Global Talent and High Potential Individual routes.
The Government plans to increase the number of people arriving on high talent routes alongside faster routes for bringing people to the UK who have the skills and experience to increase growth in strategic industries.
It will be simpler and easier for scientific and design talent to use the Global Talent visa.
Research Interns
The Government plans to increase places to the scheme for research interns including those working in AI to allow businesses access to additional promising young talent.
Innovator Founder
This route is for entrepreneurs. The Government will review this scheme to ensure that it supports entrepreneurial talent currently studying at UK Universities to move into the route so that they can build their business in the UK.
High Potential Individual
The Government will explore a targeted and capped expansion of this route looking to double the number of qualifying institutions.
Students
The Government wants to strengthen the requirements that all sponsoring institutions must meet in order to recruit international students.
All sponsors wishing to use recruitment agents for overseas students will need to sign up to the Agent Quality Framework to maintain the highest standards of agent management.
The minimum pass requirement for each Basic Compliance Assessment (BCA) metric will be raised by five percentage points so that for example a sponsor must maintain course enrolment of at least 95 percent and a course completion course of 90 percent in order to pass the compliance threshold. A new banding system to rate the BCA performance of each sponsor will be implemented to make it clear to them, the authorities and the public which institutions are achieving a high rate of compliance.
Short-term Study (English Language)
A review will be conducted of the accreditation bodies which accredit English language courses in the UK to ensure that their processes are robust and consider what further checks need to be put in place to ensure that the right level of scrutiny is being applied before an organisation is accredited.
Graduate Route
Those on a graduate visa are currently permitted two years in the UK to work after completing their degree course.
The Government will reduce the ability for graduates to remain in the UK after their studies to a period of 18 months and will explore introducing a levy on higher education provider income from international students to be reinvested into the higher education and skills system.
Family Visas
The Government is looking to tackle what it terms “the over complex family and private life immigration arrangements”. Before the end of this year, it plans to set out a new family policy to cover all UK residents including those who are British, settled or on work routes or refugees seeking to bring family members to the UK. The MAC has been commissioned to look at the financial requirements on family member routes.
The suitability rules on family routes will be tightened to ensure people are of good character. There will also be changes to English language requirements for adult family dependants.
English Language
The language requirements for skilled workers and workers where a language requirement already applies will rise from B1 to B2 (Common European Framework for Reference for Languages (CEFR).
There will be a new English language requirement for all adult dependants of workers and students at level A1 to align spousal and partner routes. Requirements to demonstrate progression to level A2 for any visa extension and B2 for settlement will be introduced.
The existing requirements for settlement across the majority of immigration routes will rise from B1 to B2.
Earned Settlement
The Government wants to reform the current rules around settlement and increase the standard qualifying period for settlement from five to ten years.
A shorter pathway to settlement for non-UK dependants of British citizens of five years will be available provided they remain compliant with their requirements.
Through an expansion of the Points-Based System, individuals will have the opportunity to reduce the qualifying period based on Points-based contributions to the UK economy and society. The Government will consult and unveil plans later this year.
Earned Citizenship
The standard qualifying period for settlement will be increased to ten years. Reforms to citizenship will be introduced to align to earned settlement reforms. Individuals will have the opportunity to reduce the qualifying period based on contributions to the UK economy and society.
Life in the UK Test
This will be reviewed to include how it operates and to reduce financial barriers to young adults who have lived in the UK through childhood, from accessing British nationality.
Enforcement of Immigration Rules
The rules will be strengthened and tightened up to make it easier to refuse entry to the UK or asylum to those who break the rules.
Rules and processes will be simplified to remove foreign national offenders.
Digital Immigration System
Following the introduction of eVisas, the Government will roll out digital identity for all overseas citizens looking forward to a capability to determine whether an individual is inside or outside the UK at any given time and whether they have overstayed their visa in order to strengthen Border security. See our previous articles about eVisas here.
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