From students to IT engineers, how stricter UK visa rules spell trouble for Indians' immigration plans

Mint

13-05-2025

In view of the rising net migration in the UK, the Labour Party-led British government released a white paper that outlined its plan to crack down on immigration. This is not good news for Indians aspiring to settle in the UK.
A white paper titled 'Restoring Control over the Immigration System' encapsulates the plan of the Keir Starmer-led Labour government to crack down on rising migration. The plan entails a higher threshold for getting work visas, widening the net of English language proficiency to dependents and importantly, stretching the time period for becoming eligible to apply for citizenship. The government statement says that the white paper sets out plans to create an immigration system that promotes growth but is controlled and managed.
The white paper mentions that the threshold for skilled worker visas should be raised to the graduate level from the current A-level measure. This will adversely impact the care workers who are hired from overseas. There are expectations that the changes will cut up to 50,000 lower skilled and care workers who are likely to come to the UK in the next year.
Migrants will have to wait 10 years to apply to settle in the UK, rather than five years under the current system. This means migrants who come on a work visa to the UK will be eligible to apply for ILR (indefinite leave to remain) after 10 years instead of the current five.
Another rule which has been put in place is the English language requirement across every immigration route into the UK. This is the first time that adult dependents will have to demonstrate some proficiency in English to integrate with the population. Critics have said that this would lead to a split in families when partners or parents fail to qualify for basic English skills.
Currently, students are eligible to stay unsponsored on a graduate visa for two years. The white paper recommends reducing this period to 18 months. The graduate visa was reintroduced in 2021 to allow graduates to stay in the UK for 24 months (36 for PhD holders) so that they can look for a job during this period.
The white paper mentions that only 30 per cent of surveyed graduate visa holders were employed in professional occupations, whereas others were either unemployed or employed in administrative or secretarial occupations.