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October 2025 Statement of Changes
On 14 October 2025, the Labour Government released one of its biggest Statement of Changes to the Immigration Rules to date. The most significant are the language requirement updates to economic visa routes.
Several of the updates were initially mentioned in the Immigration White Paper in May earlier this year, including the shortening of the Graduate Visa duration of stay.
Furthermore, the Government announced a change to the immigration skills charge, though it was not included in this Statement of Changes. However, we will still discuss it in this blog.
We will take you through the updates that have been announced in the October 2025 Statement of Changes, so you can see how they impact you.
English requirement updates for economic routes
First, we will discuss the updates to the English language requirement for economic routes. This will impact the most people, and likely be the most hotly discussed change announced.
Essentially, Skilled Worker, High Potential Individual, and Scale-up routes into the UK will increase from needing a B1 knowledge of English, to a B2 level. These levels are according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages.
This will come into effect from 8 January 2026. Anyone already in the UK, or anyone applying before then, will be subject to the existing rules.
As it is such an impactful update to the most popular route into the UK, the Skilled Worker route, this could significantly reduce the rate of immigration into the UK.
Botswana visa requirement
Nationals from Botswana will now have to apply for a Visitor Visa to be able to come to the UK; they will no longer be eligible to apply for Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) with immediate effect.
This means that Botswana nationals will be subjected to more checks, and could potentially have their Visitor Visa applications rejected if they do not meet the requirements.
The Government states that they have done this because since 2022, there has been a persistently high number of Botswana nationals coming to the UK and applying for asylum.
A transition period will run until 25 November 2025 for existing ETA applications, though no new ones can be made as of now.
Graduate Visa duration of stay reduced
Another update that could impact a lot of people is the reduction of the duration of stay for the Graduate Visa route; it is being lowered to 18 months. As we previously mentioned, this was originally outlined in the Immigration White Paper.
Whilst it has been announced now, this specific update will not come into effect until 1 January 2027.
It should be noted that the reduction to 18 months does not apply to PhD students, who can continue to remain in the UK for three years.
The Government has stated that this update follows data showing that not enough graduates are transitioning into graduate roles after finishing their degree.
High Potential Individual route expansion
A small but potentially significant update is the expansion of the High Potential Individual route. The number of people who can apply for this visa has been increased and capped at 8,000 applicants a year.
The number of eligible institutions in the UK has also doubled, allowing more institutions to sponsor applicants.
This was originally mentioned in the Immigration White Paper, and seems to be part of Government plans to attract more high-skilled workers.
German school groups
Students studying in Germany aged 19 and under will be able to come to the UK without advance permission, which means they do not need to apply for a visa or an ETA to travel.
This only applies if they are travelling in a school group of five or more students.
Additionally, EU, EEA, and Swiss students aged 19 and under who study at a German institution and visit the UK as part of a school trip can use their national identity card instead of a passport..
Appendix Statelessness
The section of the rules on statelessness has been amended, so that the partner or children of a stateless person may apply for permission to stay in the UK. This will come into effect from 11 November 2025. This only applies if they formed a family unit before the stateless person was granted permission to stay in the UK.
However, if a partner or child of a stateless person is not stateless themselves, but formed part of a family unit after a stateless person was granted permission to stay in the UK, they can now apply to stay in the UK under Appendix FM of the rules.
Visa requirement for Palestine
Following the UK’s formal recognition of Palestine as a state, they have been added to the visa national list. This will come into effect on 11 November 2025.
This means that Palestinian nationals must now apply for a visa to travel to the UK.
Grounds for Refusal replaced with Part Suitability
From 11 November 2025, the general Grounds for Refusal rules are being replaced with Part Suitability.
This is an important change, as it essentially creates a more universal rule set for the refusal and cancellation of visas. Many routes into the UK had their own specific rules around refusals which would counter the general Grounds for Refusal, so this modification of the rules will make it easier for people to understand what will and what will not lead to a refused application.
For example, the exceptions that apply to overstayers in the UK have been moved under Part Suitability with its own section titled ‘Exceptions for overstayers’.
Finally, almost every aspect of the immigration rules mentioned the old Grounds for Refusal, so a lot of the technical language will need to be changed as well.
Students transitioning to the Innovator Founder Route
With the closure of the old Start-up Visa, there was no longer a way for international students in the UK to open a business once they finished their studies.
Now, the Innovator Founder Route will allow students transitioning onto it, to open their own business in the UK.
This appears to be a part of the Government’s attempts to encourage highly skilled and educated people to come to the UK, and stay here.
Seasonal Worker route
Seasonal workers will now be able to spend no more than six months working in the UK during a 10-month rolling period. This will come into effect on 11 November 2025, like many of the other updates.
Additionally, there will now be a four-month cooling off period before workers can apply for the Seasonal Worker route again.
Previously, seasonal workers could be in the UK for six months in a 12-month rolling period.
Ukraine Permission Extension Scheme
Under the existing rules for the Ukraine Permission Extension Scheme, a child’s period of permission to be in the UK is aligned to that of their parents.
Now, the rules are being expanded to better safeguard children, so that their permission to be in the UK can be aligned to that of their legal guardian, not just a parent.
This should provide children of Ukraine nationals better security around their ability to remain in the UK with their parents and guardians.
Not included in the Statement of Changes - immigration skills charge
For some reason, the Government chose not to include this very important update to the immigration skills charge in the Statement of Changes. Instead, it was announced in a press release.
Essentially, the immigration skills charge is going up by 32%. This is the first time the charge has increased since 2017, and will impact businesses who employ workers from overseas, as they will have more fees to pay.
The increase comes as part of Government plans to encourage businesses to recruit and train people from within the UK.
Other minor changes
So far, we have focused on the changes that will impact the most people. However, there are several minor changes outlined in the October 2025 Statement of Changes.
Some are simply about wording changes, whilst others could have an effect on people’s lives. We will discuss some of the minor changes here. If you would like to learn about the other smaller updates, then please view the explanatory memorandum provided by the UK Government.
Global Talent route
Architects will now be included under provisions for the Global Talent route.
Like the other professions included, they can now provide proof of their achievements as part of a named group, or as an individual, to support their Global Talent route application.
Additionally, architects can show evidence of being shortlisted or nominated for an international architectural award to support their application.
Finally, 27 prestigious prizes have been added to the route. These are prizes that applicants can use to support applying for the route without having an endorsing body.
EU Settlement Scheme
This update to the EU Settlement Scheme simply clarifies a drafting change from July 2025, which enabled a holder of pre-settled status to be granted settled status in the UK if they have been resident in the UK for 30 months in a 60-month period.
Grounds for cancelling pre-settled status have also been brought into alignment with the rules for curtailing it within the UK. Grounds for cancellation can be based on whether someone never met, or has ceased to meet, the EU Settlement Scheme requirements.
Looking to the future
The October 2025 Statement of Changes, with the additional immigration skills charge increase, are very important and impactful. Many rules have been modified in ways that make it harder to enter the UK, except for those who are highly skilled.
So far, the Government has stuck to what it outlined in the Immigration White Paper it released in May this year.
Looking forward, it is likely that they will continue to update the immigration rules to make them more strict for the majority of people.
We will keep you updated on any future major updates to the rules.
How we can help
Not only can we keep you updated on any announcements related to the immigration rules, we can also assist you with your UK visa application, applying for settlement, and even assist you with naturalisation.
With the rules changing so often, it can be difficult to keep track of what impacts you, and whether you can still get the visa you wanted. This is why you need the assistance of our team of immigration experts.
To discuss your needs with them, you can begin by booking a free 10-minute assessment. After this, you can then book a longer paid consultation which lasts either 30 minutes, or an hour. Your consultation can be with one of our immigration specialists, or with our Principal Solicitor Nathan Woodcock. The choice is yours.
During your paid consultation, you will be given assistance with your application, as well as legal advice. We will help you every step of the way.
Get in touch with us today for our expert immigration advice, and keep visiting our website to find out about future Statements of Change.
Still unsure about using our services? Then visit our testimonials and client success stories pages to see how we have helped people in the past.
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.
