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![UK immigration system proposals via white paper released [12 May]](https://legendconsults.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/LC-Blog-35-News_White-paper-proposal-ft-1024x618.webp)
The new immigration systems are part of the UK’s Plan for Change, this time, to legitimately act on bringing net migration down and restoring control and order to the immigration system.
This means stricter rules for all visa routes, affecting main applicants, dependants, UK-based sponsors/employers (e.g., businesses, universities, non-profit organisations), and international students/graduates. Immigrant workers and healthcare businesses are hit the hardest.
Disclaimer: The white paper is yet a proposal from the UK goverment, subject to further consultation later this year; hence, changes are not effective immediately. Be sure to stay updated to see if they pass as law or not.
Here are the key areas of the proposed reform:
Increased Skills Threshold for Work Visas
The main Skilled Worker route will require roles at RQF level 6 (broadly equivalent to a bachelor’s degree), up from the current combination of RQF 3 to 5.
Salary thresholds will also increase. A Temporary Shortage List will allow for some lower-skilled roles, contingent on a domestic training plan.
Closure of Social Care Visa Route
New applications from abroad for adult social care roles will be closed. Carers already in the UK can extend until 2028. This does not affect skilled medical roles (doctors, nurses, etc.).
Reduced Duration of Post-Study Visa
The Graduate visa will be shortened from two years (or three for doctorates) to 18 months. Graduates need to secure skilled employment within this period or switch visas/leave.
Enhanced Compliance Sponsorship Standards for the Education Sector
Universities and colleges face higher compliance thresholds and will be graded on a traffic-light system. Poor ratings trigger more reporting or licence revocation.
Forthcoming Policy Revisions of Family Migration
A consultation will reshape the family route, potentially restricting access to public funds and introducing stricter English language and income requirements for dependents.
Staged Model for English Language Requirement
A staged English proficiency model is proposed: A1 on entry, A2 at extension, and B2 for settlement. Skilled Worker applicants would enter at B2. This affects both main applicants and adult dependents.
Extended Qualification for ILR from 5 to 10 years
Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) will generally require 10 years of continuous lawful residence, up from 5. A points-based system may allow for earlier settlement based on contributions.
Aside from the reform proposals above, the white paper also discussed the following:
- Strengthened enforcement and border management to deter irregular migration and expedite removals.
- A fully digital immigration status (eVisa) to record entries/exits, feeding real-time data to employers, landlords, banks, and HMRC.
- More officers are to be equipped with technology. Penalties for employing/housing irregular migrants to increase.
- Policy designers are to refuse or curtail leave where a migrant already present on a visa claims asylum without a demonstrable change in their home country’s circumstances.
- A conviction for a sex offence to result in the automatic denial of refugee status; furthermore, deportation thresholds are to be reduced to include non-custodial sentences.
- A newly established Fair Work Agency to investigate instances of exploitation and empower sponsored workers with the right to change employers upon verification of abuse.
- Immigration planning to be integrated with broader social policy, mandating that employers sponsoring non-resident workers provide evidence of domestic upskilling initiatives.
The proposed changes will be introduced in phases, with visa changes expected to take effect over 2025. This may result in an estimated 50,000 fewer lower-skilled visas.
UK-based sponsors are expected to invest more in the local workforce before they bring workers from overseas. Stay updated with the latest immigration proposals and changes here at Legend Consults.
Last Monday, 12 May 2025, the UK government published a white paper proposal for new UK immigration systems that aim to restore border control, which, as Prime Minister Keir Starmer puts it, the “experiment is over” — time to return “migration policy to common sense.”
Full publication found here: Restoring control over the immigration system white paper.
