UK's new visa rules hit Indian students and workers hardest: Explained

Business Standard

13-05-2025

The United Kingdom's new Immigration White Paper, released on May 12, 2025, introduces a stricter framework across work, study and settlement routes, likely to affect Indian nationals, who make up a large portion of international students and skilled visa applicants.
Longer path to settlement and higher English requirements
The new rules will double the standard qualifying period for settlement from five to ten years. English language requirements will now apply to more applicants, including dependants, and improvement in language ability will be monitored throughout the visa duration.
'Skill requirements raised to degree level; English language requirements across all routes – including for dependents; the time it takes to acquire settled status extended from five years to 10; and enforcement tougher than ever because fair rules must be followed,' said Prime Minister Keir Starmer, speaking from Downing Street.
The Graduate Route visa, which currently allows students to remain in the UK for two years after completing their degree, will now be limited to 18 months.
'While we are relieved that the Graduate Route has been preserved, albeit with a reduced duration, we urge that its implementation, and that of the wider reforms, be approached with care, clarity, and collaboration,' said Sanam Arora, chair of the National Indian Students and Alumni Union (NISAU) UK, speaking to PTI.
Earlier in the day, Arora wrote on X (formerly Twitter), 'I understand that the Graduate route will be reduced from 24 months to 18 months after completion of studies. It is not yet clear how this impacts existing students and incoming ones for the September 2025 intake.'
NISAU called for immediate clarification to avoid confusion among international students, especially those from India who form the largest user group of the Graduate Route.
'Panic must not be allowed to set in among current and prospective students. Immediate clarity is needed on who is affected and how,' NISAU said.
Skilled worker routes to become more selective
The reforms are also expected to tighten the skilled worker visa category, introducing tougher minimum salary requirements and further scrutiny.
'The White Paper establishes whole new approaches to migration, be it for education, work, or family,' Mamta Shekhawat, founder of Gradding.com told Business Standard. 'The pathway to permanent residency for students will become longer and more competitive, making it harder for graduates to remain in the UK unless they demonstrate exceptional value to the economy or society.'
Shekhawat added that with these changes, it has become even more important for students to focus on test preparation and academic performance.
'We encourage students to stay informed, focus on academic excellence, and develop skills that align with the UK's evolving priorities for international talent,' she said.
The Ministry of Education told the Rajya Sabha in November 2024 that 136,921 Indian students were studying in the United Kingdom. In the 2022–23 academic year, Indian student enrolment rose by 39% to 173,190, making India the top source of non-European Union students in the UK—overtaking China for the first time since 2018.
Care visa route to close
One of the most controversial changes involves the closure of the Health and Social Care Worker visa route to new applicants. In 2023, nearly 1,40,000 health and care visas were issued, with Indian nationals receiving about 39,000 of them.
'The closure of the Health and Care Worker visa to new applicants has been framed as a response to growing exploitation, but with the numbers of visas granted to first time entrants already dwindling, it is but a distraction,' said Dr Dora-Olivia Vicol, CEO of the UK's Work Rights Centre, in comments to PTI.
She said the scheme's failure had left thousands of migrant care workers in precarious conditions.
'Because of this failed visa scheme, thousands of migrant care workers already in the UK are facing destitution, and the government is yet to offer them any workable support. What they need is not more hostility and victim-blaming, but the flexibility to take their skills to the businesses that need and value them,' she said.
Vicol also criticised the extended settlement period as arbitrary and warned it could increase the number of undocumented migrants in the UK.
'More people will be put at risk of falling into insecure immigration status, putting them at greater risk of exploitation, and potentially even increasing the number of people with undocumented status,' she added. With PTI inputs