New immigration white paper: Key reforms

The Government has published a new immigration white paper, ‘Restoring control over the immigration system’, outlining significant proposals for future legislation aimed at reducing net migration. These reforms cover various routes, including work, family, settlement, student and enforcement.

Key changes proposed in the white paper include:

• The sponsorship of Skilled Workers will be restricted to roles that require a degree (RQF 6 and above). This will reduce the number of occupations that are eligible for sponsorship.

• Salary thresholds will rise – the exact figures are yet to be confirmed. 

• Social care visas will be closed to new applications from abroad. A transition period until 2028 will permit visa extensions and in-country switching for those already in the country with working rights, subject to review.

• The Immigration Skills Charge (paid at the point of assigning a Certificate of Sponsorship) will increase by 32%.

• The Immigration Salary List, which provided discounts from salary thresholds, will be abolished. It will be replaced by a new Temporary Shortage List which will cover some occupations below degree level with long-term shortages. 

• The English language level for Skilled Worker visas will increase from B1 to B2.

• The duration of the Graduate visa will be reduced from 2 years to 18 months.

• New requirements for workforce strategies will be launched for key sectors with high levels of recruitment from abroad.

• Improvements to the Global Talent and High Potential Individual (HPI) routes will be introduced. 

Family reforms:

• The framework for family migration will be reformed and a new policy on bringing family members to the UK will be set out before the end of this year.

• Changes to English language requirements for adult family dependants will be introduced, including a new requirement for dependants of workers and students to achieve level A1, rising to A2 for extensions, and B2 for settlement.

Settlement and citizenship:

• The standard qualifying period for settlement in work routes will be increased from five to ten years. There is a suggestion that individuals will have the opportunity to reduce this qualifying period based on their contributions to the UK economy and society. The shorter pathway to settlement for non-UK dependants of British citizens will remain at five years. 

• The English language requirement for settlement will be increased from B1 to B2 across the majority of visa routes.

• A new bereaved parent route will be created, allowing those in the UK on the route of a parent of a British or settled child who have lost their child to settle immediately.

• The Life in the UK test will be refreshed.

Student sponsorship:

• The minimum pass requirement of each Basic Compliance Assessment (BCA) component will be raised by 5%. 

• A Red-Amber-Green banding system will rate the BCA performance of a sponsor. Interventions, including recruitment limits and action plans, will be introduced for those at risk of failing. 

• Institutions using student recruitment agents must sign up to an Agent Quality Framework. 

• A levy on international student income for higher education providers to be reinvested into skills is also being explored.

It is important to note that the changes are proposals and not yet law. The paper itself indicates that many of these measures will require new legislation which will take time to draft and implement. 

We will provide a more in-depth analysis on the impact of these developments on our sectors in due course. Please do get in touch if you have any queries in the meantime.