The Government has released a Statement of Changes to the Immigration Rules, setting out a number of reforms to be implemented from its recent Immigration White Paper.
The measures include:
- Raising the skills threshold for Skilled Worker visas to roles at RQF level 6 (ie roles that require a degree level of education to perform), removing 111 eligible occupations. Transitional arrangements will apply for existing Skilled Worker visa holders
- Closing the Social Care Worker visa route to overseas recruitment
- Only allowing time-limited access below degree level through a targeted immigration salary list and conditional, temporary, shortage list for critical roles only, with strict requirements for sectors to have a workforce strategy to grow domestic skills, or lose access to the immigration system
- Workers in occupations on the temporary shortage list will no longer be able to bring dependants and will not be permitted salary and visa fee discounts
- Increasing the minimum annual salary threshold for sponsored visas
What is the minimum salary threshold for a skilled worker visa?
- Commissioning the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) to review the temporary shortage list.
Subject to approval by Parliament, the changes will come into effect from 22 July 2025. Transitional arrangements have been set out for overseas care workers already in the UK.
The Government plans to introduce further measures by the end of the year, including:
- Raising the immigration skills charge by 32%
- Uplifting language requirements across the immigration system
- Unveiling a new family policy framework to Parliament.
