The UK government is planning to introduce significant changes to visa and immigration laws in an effort to cut migration and tighten control over who can live and work in the country.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s government says the overhaul is necessary to end what it describes as a “failed experiment” of mass immigration and to bring down the number of people entering the UK through legal routes. The announcement was made on Sunday, May 11, ahead of the official unveiling of the government’s Immigration White Paper in Parliament on Monday, reported AFP.
The changes are part of a wider plan to reduce net migration, which stood at 728,000 in the 12 months to June 2024. Starmer, under pressure from growing public concern and the rise of the anti-immigration Reform UK party, said the new rules would restore “control” over the immigration system and ensure that only those who contribute meaningfully to the UK would be allowed to stay.
According to a report in The Guardian, the prime minister will say on Monday that immigrants should commit “to learning our language”. He wants to fix the “broken system” that encourages businesses to “bring in lower-paid workers”.
Here are the proposed changes to UK visa laws:
Care workers visas to be halted
Overseas recruitment of care workers will be halted. Interior minister Yvette Cooper, who will present the white paper to parliament, said that the Labour government will change rules to ensure care workers will no longer be recruited from overseas.
Instead, UK businesses will be expected to hire British workers or extend the visas of care workers already in the country.
“Care companies should be recruiting from those workers. They can also extend existing visas. They could recruit as well from people who are on other visas, who are already here. But we do think it’s time to end that care worker recruitment from abroad,” she told BBC.
“For years we have had a system that encourages businesses to bring in lower-paid workers, rather than invest in our young people,” Starmer will say.
Skilled workers to be fast-tracked
Skilled worker visas will only be issued for graduate-level jobs under the proposed UK visa laws.
High-skilled individuals “who play by the rules and contribute to the economy”, such as nurses, doctors, engineers and AI leaders, would be fast-tracked under the new plans, according to Downing Street.
Under the proposed changes, the education threshold for Skilled Worker Visas is expected to be increased to graduate level. This will ensure that skilled workers immigrating to the UK have a degree.
English language rules
English language rules will also be strengthened, with all adult dependents required to demonstrate a basic understanding, as per AFP.
All adult dependants of visa holders will be required to demonstrate basic English skills upon arrival. They will need to pass an A1-level English test, which involves understanding simple phrases and answering basic personal questions (such as where they live or work).
When workers or their families apply to extend their visas, dependants will have to pass a more advanced A2 test, showing the ability to understand and use everyday expressions relevant to immediate needs.
Right to settle
Under the new plans, people will have to live in the UK for 10 years before qualifying for settlement and citizenship, up from five years currently. The right to settle—also known as indefinite leave to remain—will become significantly harder to obtain.
The Starmer government plans to end the current system where many foreign workers automatically become eligible for settlement after five years of legal residence. Instead, the new policy stresses that settlement must be earned, not assumed as a right.
