Table Of Contents:
- The Proposed Changes to the Immigration Rules in 2025 Stated in the White Paper
- Higher Skills Threshold for Work Visas to Graduate Level
- Narrow List of Critical Shortage Occupations onto the Temporary Shortage List Allowed
- Closing the Social Care Visa Route to Overseas Recruitment
- Immigration Skills Charge
- Global Talent
- Dependents
- Skilled Students
- Short-term Study
- Graduates
- Family Visas Reforms
- Protecting the Vulnerable Workers from Exploitation
- English Language
- Earned Settlement
- Earned Citizenship
- Strengthened Enforcement and Border Management
- Final Thoughts
The UK government released a new immigration white paper, ‘Restoring Control over the Immigration System,’ on 12 May 2025. The government has detailed its objective in the white paper, which is to reset public trust by reducing net inward immigration. In the Foreword by the UK’s prime minister, it has been clearly stated that the government wants to restore control to its borders. The prime minister has clearly said that “if people want to come to Britain to start a new life, they must contribute, learn our language, and integrate.” On the other hand, employers looking to bring workers from overseas must also invest in the skills of workers already in the country. The government still wants to attract the world’s best talent, but it intends to reduce its reliance on cheap labor from overseas.
The Home Secretary in her foreword said, “Migration matters, but it must be controlled and managed so the system is fair and works for the UK.”
The Proposed Changes to the Immigration Rules in 2025 Stated in the White Paper
The government has proposed several changes in its white paper released on 12 May 2025. These changes are primarily going to affect businesses, universities, and charities hiring from overseas; healthcare providers and care homes; international students and graduates; families; and many migrant workers.
1. Higher Skills Threshold for Work Visas to Graduate Level
The main Skilled Worker route skill threshold will be raised to RQF level 6, which is broadly equivalent to a bachelor’s degree. Currently, it is RQF level 3 (A-level equivalent) and above. The salary thresholds will also rise. The Immigration Salary List, which allows people to get discounted salary thresholds, will be abolished. People already holding Skilled Worker visas will continue to be able to renew their visas, change employment, and take supplementary employment in currently eligible occupations below RQF 6. However, those applying to switch from other routes or applicants from overseas will have to follow the new rules.
2. Narrow List of Critical Shortage Occupations onto the Temporary Shortage List Allowed
A new Temporary Shortage List will be established to provide time-limited access to the Points-Based immigration system. Occupations below RQF 6 will be listed on the Temporary Shortage List.
3. Closing the Social Care Visa Route to Overseas Recruitment
In line with wider reforms to skills thresholds, social care visas will be closed to new applications from abroad. For a transition period until 2028, the UK will permit visa extensions and in- country switching for those already in the country with working rights. However, this will be kept under review.
4. Immigration Skills Charge
The ISC will be increased by 32% for the first time since its introduction to bring the rates in line with inflation. Funding will support skills funding for priority sectors to upskill the domestic workforce and reduce reliance on migration.
5. Global Talent
The following changes to the Global Talent route will be introduced:
- People arriving on very high talent routes will increase.
- Faster routes will be created to bring people to the UK who have the right skills and experience to contribute to the strategic industries. As part of that, places in the UK’s scheme for research interns will increase, including those working in the field of artificial intelligence.
- The Global Talent visa route will be made simpler and easier for top scientific and design talent.
- The number of workers that an overseas business can send to the UK to establish a presence in the UK will be doubled.
6. Dependents
Restrictions will be put on dependents for lower-skilled workers on the temporary shortage list. Salary thresholds for all visa holders seeking to bring in dependents will be increased. English language requirements for visa holders and dependents will also be increased.
7. Skilled Students
To prevent the misuse of student visas, all sponsoring institutions must meet stricter requirements in order to recruit international students. The following measures will be implemented:
- The minimum pass requirement of each BCA metric will be increased by five percentage points, so that, for example, a sponsor must maintain a course enrollment rate of at least 95% and a course completion rate of 90% to pass the compliance threshold.
- A new Red-Amber-Green banding system will be implemented to rate the BCA performance of each sponsor.
- Sponsors who are at risk of failing their metrics will be placed on a bespoke action plan designed to improve their compliance. There will be a limit imposed on the number of new international students they can recruit while they are subject to those plans.
- All sponsors wishing to use recruitment agents to recruit overseas students will have to sign up to the Agent Quality Framework.
8. Short-term Study
Only accredited organizations can offer a short-term (English language) study course. Now, a review of the accreditation bodies will be conducted to ensure that their processes for accrediting an organization are robust.
9. Graduates
Graduates will be able to remain in the UK after their studies for a period of 18 months instead of the current 24 months.
10. Family Visas Reforms
Before the end of 2025 this year, a new family policy will be set out that will cover all UK residents, including those who are British, settled, on work routes, or refugees seeking to bring family members to the UK; appropriate level of English language skills for the dependents; look at the financial requirements to support any migrants and dependents without relying on the taxpayer; and ensure that those who serve or have served as members of HM Armed Forces and their dependents have their rights to reside in the UK and become British citizens.
11. Protecting the Vulnerable Workers from Exploitation
More responsibility and accountability will be placed on effective and responsible sponsors. The option for making it easier for workers to move between licensed sponsors for the duration of their visa will be explored. This will give the workers more control over who they work for and reduce the risk of exploitation.
12. English Language
New English language requirements will be introduced across a broader range of immigration routes for both main applicants and their dependents. The following changes will be introduced:
- Language requirements for skilled workers and workers will rise from B1 to B2 (independent user) levels, in accordance with the CEFR (Common European Framework of Reference for Languages).
- A new English language requirement will come in for all adult dependants of workers and students at level A1 (Basic User), and it will be looked at to increase this requirement over time.
- For any visa extension, applicants will have to meet CEFR levels A2 (Basic User) and B2 (Independent User) for settlement.
- Existing requirements for settlement across the majority of immigration routes will rise from B1 to B2 (Independent User).
13. Earned Settlement
There will be an expansion of the point-based system. People on the point-based system will have to meet the standard qualifying period for settlement of 10 years from the current 5 years. Non-UK dependents of British citizens will continue to have to meet the 5-year continuous residence requirement for settlement. A new bereaved parent route will be created. This will allow those in the UK, as a parent of a British or settled child, who have tragically lost their child, to settle immediately.
Children in the UK, for some time, turning 18 without any immigration status will be fully supported to regularize their status and settle, including a clear pathway for those children in care and care leavers.
14. Earned Citizenship
Similar to earned settlement, the standard qualifying period will be increased for earned citizenship. Expansion of the points-based system will allow those with greater contributions to the UK to qualify sooner. The Life in the UK test will be updated. Measures will be considered to reduce the financial barriers to young adults having lived in the UK through their childhood to access British nationality.
Strengthened Enforcement and Border Management
The white paper released on 12 May 2025 sets out an enforcement architecture aimed at deterring illegal migration into the country and expediting the removal process for those breaching the immigration rules. The following measures will be taken for this.
- A rollout of digital identity will take place for all overseas citizens in the form of eVisas and new systems for checking visa compliance, replacing the former Biometric Residence Permit cards.
- Frontline Immigration Enforcement teams will be provided the tools to do their job. In the coming months, these teams will have body-worn video cameras, together with an advanced data management system and improved mobile biometric kits. This will improve identity verification, accountability, transparency, and officer safety.
- The Border Security, Asylum, and Immigration Bill, which is currently progressing through Parliament, will strengthen the civil penalty regime to ensure that any employer who facilitates illegal working faces immediate penalties for doing so.
- The UK will continue to surge resources into illegal working. For this, eVisas and modern biometric technology will be used to support raids. The 1,000 staff will be redeployed into enforcement and returns.
- The UK will work with HMRC and HM Treasury on applying immigration enforcement measures to those who are in the UK on visas or those applying for visas and have not paid their due taxes that they owe in the UK.
Final Thoughts
The White Paper released aims to reduce net migration and deliver reform in all the key areas due to which immigration rules have been abused in recent years. The prime minister pledges to strengthen the points-based system and insists on reducing the over-reliance on overseas workers to fill gaps in labor and skills.
He also pledged to stop any abuse of UK visa routes and ban UK employers from hiring overseas workers where they refuse to play by the rules. He wants to send a clear signal around the world that Britain is no longer a place for illegal working.
Further action to safeguard the UK’s border security will be taken. People with no right to be in the UK will be removed so that the will of the UK’s sovereign Parliament should decide who comes to the country and stays in our country, and no one else. This white paper delivers the action the UK government needs to meet all of those pledges.
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