The immigration white paper, Restoring Control over the Immigration System, published on May 12, 2025, outlines measures to reform the UK’s immigration system, prioritizing economic growth, higher skills, and reduced reliance on international recruitment. The 82-page blueprint addresses the quadrupling of net migration between 2019 and 2023 by introducing stricter policies, boosting domestic training, and enhancing border security.
Key Reforms:
1. Reducing International Recruitment
– Reverse the trend of prioritizing international hires over domestic skills and training.
– Establish a Labour Market Evidence Group to analyze data and guide policy, reducing dependency on migration.
– Require government departments to collaborate with sector bodies to develop workforce strategies.
2. Skilled Worker Thresholds
– Raise the Skilled Worker threshold to RQF 6 (graduate level) with increased salary requirements.
– Abolish the Immigration Salary List, ending salary threshold discounts.
– Limit points-based system access to occupations with long-term shortages, as advised by the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC), with time-limited approvals and employer commitments to domestic recruitment.
3. Adult Social Care
– Close social care visas to new overseas applicants.
– Allow visa extensions and in-country switching until 2028 during workforce strategy development, with ongoing reviews.
4. International Students
– Tighten sponsor requirements for institutions recruiting international students.
– Introduce action plans and recruitment limits for sponsors failing compliance duties.
– Reduce post-study stay period for graduates to 18 months.
5. Family and Private Life
– Simplify complex family immigration rules, reducing “exceptional” case approvals.
– Legislate to ensure government and Parliament control decisions on who can remain in the UK, addressing misuse of Article 8 (right to family life) arguments in deportation cases.
6. Economic Growth and Talent
– Expand routes for highly skilled individuals, including high-talent visas, research internships, and Global Talent visas.
– Review Innovator Founder and High Potential Individual routes to boost strategic industries.
7. Tackling Abuse
– Tighten controls for asylum claims where home country conditions are unchanged, especially post-arrival claims.
– Apply stricter visa scrutiny based on evidence of abuse.
– Introduce financial penalties and sanctions for non-compliant sponsors.
– Encourage foreign governments to support returns of their nationals.
8. Foreign National Offenders (FNOs)
– Ensure the Home Office is notified of all foreign nationals convicted of offenses, not just those imprisoned.
– Revise deportation thresholds to consider broader factors, including violence against women and girls.
9. English Language Requirements
– Expand English language tests across more immigration routes for applicants and dependants, with assessments of progress over time.
10. Settlement and Citizenship
– Extend the settlement qualifying period to 10 years.
– Apply a points-based system to settlement and citizenship, prioritizing contributions to the UK, with details forthcoming by year-end.
Implementation and Future Steps
These policies, part of the UK government’s Plan for Change, will roll out over the current Parliament, with initial changes starting in weeks. Further asylum and border security reforms will follow this summer, building on the Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill. The government aims to create a fairer, more controlled immigration system that prioritizes UK workers and economic prosperity.
Like this Post? Share on Social Media
Discover more from Visas & Travels
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.