The government has announced planned changes to the Immigration Rules by way of a White Paper released on 12 May 2025. Although these are just general outlines of proposed changes without much detail at this stage, we outline the possible changes here.
Skilled Worker
The government intends to raise the minimum skill level for jobs that are eligible for Skilled Worker sponsorship to RQF 6, which broadly correlates to graduate-level positions. Salary thresholds are also expected to rise.
It also plans to abolish the Immigration Salary List, which allows some applicants to apply with a lower salary than the usual threshold on the basis of their particular job. Historically, this has allowed industries with labour shortages to recruit candidates more easily.
However, there is scope for continuing to sponsor candidates for jobs that correlate to RFQ levels 3-5 where certain conditions are met, including where there have been long-term shortages.
These changes will mean an end to sponsorship for social care jobs. However, these changes are not expected to affect anyone already in the route and the government plans to allow people already in the UK to continue to switch into this route to undertake social care jobs until 2028.
Students
There will be more stringent requirements on student sponsors, such as universities, to increase compliance with sponsor duties in order to reduce alleged “misuse and exploitation” of student visas.
Graduates will be limited to just 18 months in the Graduate route. It is unclear whether this also applies to those who complete PhDs, who are currently given three years of leave, but it seems likely.
Family migration and exceptional circumstances
The government believes that there are currently too many applications being decided (though not necessarily granted) outside the Rules on the basis of exceptional circumstances and intends to implement a new policy for dealing with these types of cases.
There will also be a new policy for handling family applications along the following lines:
- cover all UK residents including those who are British, settled, on work routes or refugees seeking to bring family members to the UK
- have clear relationship requirements, designed to ensure only those in genuine, subsisting relationships qualify, reduce forced marriage and include protections for victims of domestic abuse
- ensure those coming to the UK have an appropriate level of English language skills, to be able to effectively integrate into local communities
- ensure the family unit has sufficient money financially to support any migrants without relying on the taxpayer through reviewing and extending the financial requirements to other dependant routes, and
- ensure that those who serve or have served as members of HM Armed Forces, bravely protecting our country, and their dependants, have their rights to reside in the UK and become British citizens protected in line with this Government's commitment to them, in the Armed Forces Covenant.
These points are already covered by the Immigration Rules so we will have to wait for the Statement of Changes to see what actual changes are being made.
High-skilled migration
The government intends to introduce changes to certain “high-skilled” categories to make it easier to attract people to these routes, including Global Talent, Innovator Founder and High Potential Individual (HPI). These changes include:
- Increasing the number of people arriving on our very high talent routes, alongside faster routes for bringing people to the UK who have the right skills and experience to supercharge UK growth in strategic industries
- As part of that, increasing places to our scheme for research interns, including those working in the field of Artificial Intelligence, to allow businesses access to additional promising young talent
- Make it simpler and easier for top scientific and design talent to use our Global Talent visa
- Review our Innovator Founder visa to ensure that it supports entrepreneurial talent currently studying at UK universities to move into the visa so that they can build their business and career in the UK
- Double the number of workers that an overseas business can send to the UK with the aim of establishing a presence in the UK
- We will explore a targeted and capped expansion of the HPI route, looking to double the number of qualifying institutions, whilst maintaining the focus of the route on individuals that will have the most benefit to the UK workforce and ensuring that any necessary safeguards are in place
We will have to wait for the Statement of Changes to see what this means in practice.
English language
The government plans to introduce an English language requirement for adult dependants on work and study routes. In practice, this likely means applying the existing English language requirement to partners of main applicants, who are currently exempt until settlement, in categories like Skilled Worker and students.
Qualifying period for settlement and citizenship
Currently, the qualifying period for settlement for most routes is five years. The government plans to increase it to 10 years for some routes, though at present it is not clear which routes would be affected.
The White Paper is clear that this will not affect the five-year partner/spouse route and it seems to suggest that routes like Global Talent will be exempt from this, though this has not been clarified at time of writing.
Those who make “greater contributions” to the UK will be able to apply earlier than 10 years, though it is not clear what this means yet.
This will also apply to citizenship applications, where the standard qualifying period is currently five years for those not married to a British citizen.
Bereaved parent route
A new “bereaved parent” route will be introduced, to mirror the existing Bereaved Partner route, to allow people who are in the UK with leave as a parent of a British or settled child to qualify for settlement immediately upon the death of their qualifying child.
New route for young people without status
Although details are sparse on this one, the government plans for:
Ensuring children who have been in the UK for some time, turn 18 and discover they do not have status, are fully supported and able to regularise their status and settle. This will also include a clear pathway for those children in care and care leavers.
There are also plans to reduce the financial barriers to young people who have lived in the UK “through their childhood” applying for citizenship.