What Are UK's New Immigration Rules? How Students & Workers Will Be Impacted

News18

26-05-2025

Last Updated:
Foreign workers will need a degree-level qualification to apply for skilled worker visa instead of the equivalent of A-level. Language requirements for all work visas will increase
The UK government wants to lower immigration under new tighter rules as proposed by the Labour party. Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the measures, published in the 'white paper', would make the system more 'controlled, selective and fair".
What Are The Key Measures Proposed?
Work Visa Threshold Raised: Foreign workers will now need minimum a degree-level qualification to apply for skilled worker visa instead of the equivalent of A-level. This higher threshold will not apply to those already in the UK renewing their visa. But the government expects it will prevent new visa applications for around 180 jobs, reducing immigration by around 39,000 a year by 2029. Lower-qualification visas will be capped and restricted to employers with a workforce training plan in place.
Longer Residency Wait: The immigrants will typically have to live in the UK for 10 years before applying for the right to stay indefinitely – double the current five-year period. Although there will continue to be a shorter pathway to settlement for non-UK dependants of British citizens. Individuals will also have the opportunity to reduce the qualifying period based on their contributions to the UK economy and society.
Social Care Visa Removed: While the government plans to close the social care visas for new applications from abroad, for a transitional period until 2028, visa extensions and in-country switching for those already in the UK with working rights will be permitted.
Tougher English Tests: Language requirements for all work visas will increase, whilst adult dependents of visa-holders will be required to demonstrate a basic understanding of English to come on a spousal and partner route.
Stricter Student Visa Rules: New graduates who have completed their study can stay in the UK for 18 months from the earlier two years. The government is also considering charging a 6% tax on tuition fee income from international students, which they are promising to reinvest into the higher education and skills system.
No Cap On Immigration Number: The government stressed that it wants to 'significantly" reduce the immigration numbers. But the prime minister is not putting any cap on the overall level of net migration. The Conservatives say they would allow MPs to decide annual caps each year through a vote in Parliament.
In her foreword to the white paper, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said the government would also set out further reforms to the asylum system and border security 'in response to irregular and illegal migration" later in the summer.
How Many Migrants In The UK?
The number of people coming to the UK, minus the number leaving (net migration), was 728,000 in the year to June 2024, according to provisional figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
This was a 20% drop from the number of people who came in the 12 months to June 2023. The newly revised total for that period was 906,000, far higher than the previous estimate of 740,000.
The ONS estimates that 1.2 million people expecting to stay at least a year came to the UK in the year to June 2024. It estimates that 479,000 left the UK.
Of the 1.2 million who came to live in the UK, 5% (58,000) were British nationals, 10% (116,000) were EU nationals or from Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Switzerland (EU+) and 86% (1 million) were non-EU+ nationals.
As per the BBC report, of the 1 million non-EU nationals, 82% (845,000) were of working age (16 to 64 years), 17% (179,000) were children (under 16 years) and 8% (84,000) claimed asylum.
What Are The Rules For Students?
Home Office figures show 393,125 student visas were issued to foreign students in the year ending December 2024. That is 14% fewer than in the previous 12-month period, but still almost 50% higher (46%) than in 2019.
In the year to December 2024, 21,978 visas were issued to student dependants, an 85% fall from the number issued in 2023.
What Are The Salary Rules For Visa Applicants?
Most people planning to work in the UK apply through Point-Based System (PBS). But since April 11, 2024, they have needed a job offer with a higher salary.
Applicants have to earn at least £38,700 — an increase of nearly 50% from the previous £26,200 minimum.
Applicants need 70 points to qualify for a skilled worker visa. This can last for up to five years before it needs to be extended.
You get 50 points from having a job offer above a minimum skill level, and speaking English.
The remaining 20 points are added from a higher salary, working in a sector with job shortages, or having a relevant PhD.
The standard fee for a skilled visa is usually between £719 and £1,639, depending on your circumstances.
What About Family Visas?
If you want to live with a relative who is a British citizen or someone who has the right to live in the UK for more than six months, you need a family visa.
Around 86,000 family-related visas were granted in the year ending December 2024, 7% more than in 2023, as per Home Office figures.
You have to demonstrate a good knowledge of English. The relative that you will live with in the UK has to meet the minimum income threshold. This was initially also due to rise to £38,700 — a sharp increase from the previous £18,600 figure.
But after warnings the new rules risked separating families, the previous government dropped the new minimum to £29,000.
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New Delhi, India, India
First Published:
May 26, 2025, 08:25 IST
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