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UK Immigration White Paper 2025 – the key changes
On 12 May 2025, the UK Government released its long-awaited Immigration White Paper, outlining their plans for the future of the UK’s immigration system. The proposed changes will have far-reaching effects for both people who want to come to the UK, and people who are already here.
The release of the White Paper has been rumoured in previous weeks, and it comes after years of rises in immigration figures that have been a main talking point in the UK’s politics.
In our blog, we will highlight some of the key changes that are discussed in the White Paper, and the Government’s reasons behind what they are planning to do.
There will likely be more news in the future as these planned updates to the rules are refined over time, so we will do our best to keep you updated on any announcements from the Government and help you understand these complex changes.
End of the Health and Care Worker route
The most notable announcement in the White Paper is that the Health and Care Worker route will be closing to new applicants.
Under both the Conservative and Labour governments, this visa received several updates in multiple Statements of Changes.
For example, in the March 2025 Statement of Changes, the UK Government announced that employers must prove that they first tried to hire workers already in the UK, whether they are here on a visa, or domestic workers.
The Government has stated that the end of this route comes as a result of the abuse and exploitation of workers who enter the UK on this route. Since 2022, 470 Sponsor Licence holders have had their licences revoked due to them not being compliant with the rules and exploiting their overseas workers. This has led to 40,000 people on a Health and Care Worker Visa being out of work.
Prospective employers will be expected to hire within the UK from amongst both the British population, as well as the migrant worker population already here.
People in the UK on a Health and Care Worker Visa will be able to extend their stay and switch visas during a transition period that will last up to 2028.
Settlement and citizenship
The number of years people will need to have been in the UK before they can apply for both settlement under Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR), and to naturalise as a British citizen, is being increased to ten years.
Currently, it is five years for both. However, some visas already require you to have been in the UK for a combined period of ten years. The Skilled Worker Visa, which is the most popular route into the UK, currently allows you to apply for ILR after five years. This means that many of the people in the UK on this route will have to wait even longer before they can settle.
Life in the UK test
Alongside the changes to the time period, they will also be making modifications to the Life in the UK test to refresh its content and how it works.
Worker Visa reforms
There are going to be many reforms to different areas of the rules for Skilled Worker Visas, and other visa routes. With the Skilled Worker Visa being the most popular route into the UK, it is not surprising that the Government would target it in the Immigration White Paper to try and lower net migration.
Additionally, the Government wants companies to rely more on domestic labour and focus on training and hiring from within the UK.
Qualification requirements
Occupations for the Skilled Worker Visa will now require a Regulated Qualifications Framework (RQF) level of 6 or above. This is equal to the Bachelor’s Degree level.
Previously, it was at level 3, which is equivalent to A-levels.
A stricter requirement on what kind of qualifications people need to hold will mean that only highly skilled individuals can get a Skilled Worker Visa.
This has been done as the Government believes companies will hire from the British population, which will in turn increase economic activity amongst British people.
Immigration Skills Charge
For the first time since its introduction in 2017, the Immigration Skills Charge will be increasing, with it going up by 32%. This will bring it in line with inflation.
Currently, the charge is £364 for the first 12 months if the sponsor is a small or charitable business, and £1,000 for medium or large sponsors.
Then, every additional 6 months it is £182 for charitable or small sponsors, and £500 for medium or large sponsors.
Temporary Shortage List
Occupations that are from RQF 3 to 5 can be put on a new Temporary Shortage List. Applicants for a Skilled Worker Visa will have time-limited access to jobs on this new list.
Whole sectors could also be put on the list if they are important to the country and provide critical services.
For companies to use the list, they will need to have a workforce strategy that shows they are maximising their use of the UK workforce.
Refugee Workers
Previously, refugees have not had the opportunity to apply for jobs within the UK even if they have the required skills.
The Government now plans to allow a limited pool of refugees recognised by the United Nations of High Commissioner for Refugees to apply for roles through existing worker routes if they have the required skills.
Global Talent and High Potential Individual routes
More people will be able to come to the UK through the Global Talent routes, which allows very highly skilled individuals to work in specific industries here in the UK.
For example, there will be more places for research interns so that companies can access a larger pool of young talent. More people will also be able to come to the UK using the High Potential Individual route.
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English language requirement
One of the biggest proposals in the White Paper is that the English language knowledge threshold will increase. Visa applicants will now need to have at least a B2 level of knowledge of English according to the Common European Framework of References for Languages.
Furthermore, adult dependents will now also be subject to an English knowledge requirement of at least A1. In the past, they have not had any language requirement.
Over time, they will assess the knowledge of people on visas to see if they have improved their knowledge of English.
We do not know if this will apply to every visa or not just yet. It is possible that some visas will retain lower levels, or all visas may be increased but to different English knowledge requirements.
The Government has stated that by doing this, the integration of migrants into the UK will improve.
At the moment, people have to prove their English language ability by doing either a test, or by using their existing qualifications and degrees as proof of their knowledge.
Skilled students
The Student Visas is one of the most popular routes into the UK, with it being just behind Skilled Worker Visas in the number of people who hold one.
Although international students contribute a lot to the UK economy, the Government wants to ensure that opportunities to study here are only available to those who they believe are genuinely here get a degree, and that the ones who stay in the UK after their studies are contributing to the country. That is why they are announcing stricter rules in the Immigration White Paper
Sponsors
The Basic Compliance Assessment (BCA) is used annually to check how sponsors are complying with the rules according to three metrics:
- Visa refusal of less than 10%
- Course enrolment rate of at least 90%
- Course completion rate of at least 85%
If sponsors fail one metric, they could have their Sponsor Licence revoked.
Now, the Government wants to change the metrics to be much stricter.
The course enrolment rate will need to be at least 95% with a completion rate of 90% for sponsors to remain compliant.
Additionally, a traffic light banding system will be introduced to rate the performance of sponsors with red, amber and green rankings. This will make it clear to everyone how a sponsor is performing.
Sponsors who are at risk of failing to comply will have new action plans to improve their compliance, as well as restrictions on how many new international students they can recruit.
Finally, sponsors will need to sign up to the Agent Quality Framework if they wish to use recruitment agents to find students to sponsor, to ensure that those carrying out recruitment responsibilities are legitimate and maintained to a high standard.
Graduate Visas
Once international students are close to finishing their studies, they can apply for a Graduate Visa which allows them to look for work to remain in the UK if they successfully complete their course.
To make sure that people on the visa transition into the workforce quicker, the time they can remain in the UK on the visa will be reduced to 18 months from 24 months.
Impact of the Immigration White Paper
It is clear that the Government is attempting to lower net migration with such widespread restrictions of the immigration rules.
Additionally, it seems they are pushing for companies to focus more on training and hiring workers from within the UK instead of relying on migrants.
After going through the changes, it does seem likely that net migration will drop as a result of the proposed changes, as many people will be ineligible for visas. Some people may even be put off applying due to how long it will take to get settlement and citizenship as well.
It will also be interesting to see how businesses shift to focussing their recruitment efforts more on the domestic workforce than on overseas workers.
Looking to the future, it is likely that some of the proposed updates in the Immigration White Paper will be modified before they are introduced, and some will receive extra clarification.
We will aim to keep you as up-to-date on any immigration rules as they are announced.
How we can help
With frequent rule changes introduced through Statements of Changes and the Immigration White Paper, it can be hard to keep track of what applies to you and what you need to do to remain compliant. That is where we come in.
Our team of immigration experts are here to guide you through the UK immigration system so that you can apply for a visa, a Sponsor Licence, settlement, or citizenship. We will help you find the route best for you and manage your application so that you can be comfortable in the knowledge that everything possible is being done for your application to be successful.
Contact us by phone, email, our website chatbot, or directly book a free 10-minute assessment to discuss your needs with us. If we can help you, then you can book a paid consultation that lasts either 30 minutes, or an hour.
Your consultation can be with one of our immigration specialists, or with our Principal Solicitor, Nathan Woodcock. They will be your direct point of contact with the company, and will help you plan your next steps to secure your future in the UK.
Get in touch with us today for our expert immigration advice.
Ready for assistance?
If you have any questions, or want to book an appointment with one of our legal experts, contact Woodcock Law today. Call us on +44 (0)20 7712 1705 or email info@woodcocklaw.co.uk.
