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March 2025 Statement of Changes to Care Worker Visas and more
In recent weeks, the Labour Government has been busy with many different issues facing the country at home and abroad. However, that has not stopped them from providing updates to the Immigration Rules, with 12 March 2025 seeing a wide-ranging Statement of Changes that addresses many different areas of the immigration rules.Â
Whilst there are updates to many different aspects of the immigration rules, the ones with the most impact on people will be updates to the Health and Care Worker Visa route. Nevertheless, the other announcements will impact people as well.
In this blog, we will take you through the updates that the Government has announced, and tell you how they may impact you.Â
Worker routes
As we previously mentioned, the biggest updates in the new March 2025 Statement of Changes are those to the Health and Care Worker Visa route.
Health and Care Worker route
It has been announced that, from 9 April 2025, care providers who want to recruit overseas workers must first try to recruit workers already in the UK, and show proof of their attempts. This could be either domestic workers, or workers from overseas who are already here and are looking for a new sponsor. It should be noted that this only applies to England.
This Government stated that this change comes as a result of their aims to reduce the reliance of the UK on overseas workers; also, they said it is part of their goal to end the exploitation of workers who come from abroad and find that the job they were sponsored for is not real, or they are treated poorly by their employer. The last point ties into changes that were introduced last year, where they banned companies from charging employees the cost of their sponsorship.
Salary requirements
Every year, the minimum salary floor for all Worker Visas increases alongside the National Living Wage, which goes up every April.
The minimum salary floor for all Worker Visas is going up from £23,200 (£11.90 an hour) to £25,000 (£12.82 an hour).
Some jobs under the Health and Care Worker route will also have their going rates increased.
Trinidad and Tobago Visa requirement
Trinidad and Tobago is having a visa requirement reinstated with immediate effect. This means that they will no longer be able to apply for Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA), and they are now subject to normal immigration rules.Â
There will be a transition period for those who already have a confirmed booking to travel to the UK, which will end on 23 April 2025. Anyone who travels before this date will not need a Visitor Visa.Â
Now and then, the countries on the ETA list have been reviewed, and other countries have been removed in the past few months, even though the ETA was only introduced to many countries late last year.Â
The Government has stated that they have removed Trinidad and Tobago from the ETA as a result of nationals of the country coming to the UK to carry out activities that are not permitted under Immigration Rules for Visitors. For example, they have attempted to live, work, and claim asylum through this route. In particular, the asylum claims have been made upon arrival, and the Government has stated that this creates more operational difficulties on the border.Â
Ukraine Scheme updates
The Statement of Changes includes changes to both of the currently existing Ukraine Schemes.
Ukraine Permission Extension Scheme
The Ukraine Permission Extension Scheme has been extended to allow for under-18s who were given Leave to Enter the UK outside the Immigration Rules.Â
They can apply to the scheme once their current Leave to Enter is close to expiring.Â
Originally, it was only possible for children with parents on the Homes for Ukraine route to apply to the Ukraine Permission Scheme.Â
This scheme is quite recent, with it only being introduced on 4 February 2025 to replace the Ukraine Extension Scheme as a new way for Ukrainian nationals to extend their stay in the UK.  Â
Homes for Ukraine Scheme
There are some changes related to parents and definitions of who counts as one. Under the Homes for Ukraine Scheme, step-parents are included as parents, whilst under the Ukraine Permission Extension Scheme, they are considered relatives. To bring the two into alignment for the sake of clarity, step-parents will now be classed as relatives under both.Â
Additionally, a requirement has been added stating that parents who are joined by a child in the UK must be lawfully resident here.Â
EU Settlement Scheme updates
In the March 2025 Statement of Changes, the EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS) has received a few changes that we will list below.
The updates are as follows:
- Non-EEA nationals applying to the EUSS can now use a UK-issued biometric residence permit or card that has expired for up to 18 months as proof of their identity and nationality. They will also not need to provide their fingerprint biometrics again in situations they used their card.
- People with a pending administrative review of an EUSS decision will not be removed from the UK if they have not left the UK, but have not been granted entry either.
- Those who became an EU, EEA or Swiss citizen after the EUSS transition period ended on 31 December 2020 cannot sponsor an EUSS family permit application.Â
- EUSS and EUSS family permit applications can be refused on suitability grounds, regardless of there being a deportation or exclusion order in place.Â
French school groups and the ETA
Back in December 2023, a Statement of Changes was announced that included an update to Visitor Visa rules that allowed school groups made up of children under 18 studying at a school in France, to be able to visit the UK without a visa. However, they still need to provide their passports.
With the introduction of the EU countries to the ETA, French nationals no longer need to apply for a Visitor Visa to enter the UK. Now, the aforementioned school groups will not need to apply for an ETA either. This includes children of other nationalities who live and study in France, and are a part of the school group.Â
British Nationals Overseas ETA exemptions
British Nationals Overseas are being removed from the ETA, so they will no longer need to get one to be able to travel to, or transit through, the UK.Â
They were only recently introduced on 5 March 2025, as they are not classed as being British citizens.
Short-term Study Visa updates
The Short-term Study Visa route is exclusively for people who want to study English in the UK for six months or less.Â
Only one update has been introduced to this route, which is that caseworkers can refuse applicants if they feel that they do not have a genuine intention to study the course on their application, and that they will not leave the UK once it is finished.
Global Talent routes
At the request of Arts Council England and their sub-endorsing bodies, British Fashion Council, the Royal Institute of British Architects, and Pact, there have been some amendments to the Global Talent route evidential requirements.Â
British Fashion Council, Pact, and RIBA all requested the following:
- Applicants must include a CV so that the endorsing bodies can understand where the applicant is at in their career.
- Letters of support must come from organisations that the applicant has worked with in a role that used their expertise. This will make sure that letters of support are relevant to what the applicant wants to do in the UK.
Next, the following only applies to the British Fashion Council:
- Applicants must be able to show that they have media recognition of their work that they produced as a contributing designer. For example, they should show that they worked for a brand rather than work they made by themselves.
- Made clear that the sub-endorsing bodies determine whether the organisation that the applicant states they worked with is equivalent in standing to the British Fashion Council.
- Letter requirements are now the same as other arts-linked sectors, which means that the third letter of support can come from an individual who is an expert in the applicant’s field.
Finally, Pact have requested that:
Awards given to applicants must have been won for their work as an individual, unless otherwise specified. Awards given to groups cannot be used in applications unless it can be shown that the applicant made a large contribution to winning, or being nominated for, the award.
As part of the Notable Industry Recognition Awards List, applicants must provide evidence of at least two separate productions to show a suitable amount of evidence.Â
Prestigious prizes
If an applicant holds a qualifying prize, they can qualify for the Global Talent route without having to get an endorsement from a Global Talent endorsing body. Winners of the prizes must be open to all nationalities, and determined by experts or peers.Â
Child Student safeguarding rules updates
Throughout the rules for safeguarding child students, references to ‘nominated guardians’ have been made, with a definition of the term included.
Also, caseworkers can now refuse Child Student applications if a Child Student’s carer in the UK has committed a criminal offence.Â
Additionally, caseworkers can also refuse applications if they believe there are safeguarding concerns for the child once they enter the UK.Â
Finally, there are new living arrangement requirements outlined in the rules regarding who a child can live with, including outside of term-time if they go to a boarding school.Â
Administrative reviews
Another aspect of the rules that received updates were those regarding administrative reviews.
The most important change is to the validity requirement, which now states that those applying for permission to stay in the UK must remain here to be able to apply for an administrative review against the refusal of their decision. This is to avoid situations where a person cannot be granted permission to stay in the UK, as they have left whilst their case is under review.Â
Additionally, the rules have been updated to reflect that a person can only be considered for one type of leave at a time, so there are no conflicts if they succeed in getting both.Â
PhD student rules
One of the smaller updates is that PhD students are now exempt from Academic Progress requirements if they are going to be following their academic supervisor to a new education sponsor so that they can complete their studies. These changes will be listed in the Student Visa route rules.Â
This means that they can apply for further permission to complete their course from within the UK instead of first having to leave the country.
Other changes
In addition to what we have so far discussed, there are also many other minor modifications to the rules in the March 2025 Statement of Changes that are too long to list here, and are generally not very notable. One example is that certain areas of the rules have had slight name changes.
One example of a minor update is that Health Education England no longer has provisions to sponsor students, as they no longer have a sponsor licence.
If you would like to read about the minor changes, then you can read the explanatory memorandum that the Government releases alongside Statements of Changes. Please note that these can be difficult to read through.
How we can help
With the Immigration Rules changing multiple times a year, it is difficult for most people to keep track of what might impact them, particularly if requirements for visa applications or settlement in the UK change.
Luckily, our team is here to help you through every step of your application process with their expert advice. If you plan on making an application for a visa, settlement, or citizenship, then our team can help you.Â
First, you should contact our team by phone, email, or our website chatbot. You can also book a free 10-minute assessment that allows our team to see how they can help you.
After this, you can book a longer, paid consultation that can last either 30 minutes, or an hour. Your consultation can be with one of our immigration specialists, or with our Principal Solicitor, Nathan Woodcock. During this, we will help you plan your next steps and provide legal advice.Â
Get in touch with us today to see what we can do for you.
If you are still unsure, then read about our past client success stories or read our testimonials page to read the reviews of our company left by past people we have helped.
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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.
