{"id":3146,"date":"2025-05-12T13:53:04","date_gmt":"2025-05-12T13:53:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/visavisuk.com\/?p=3146"},"modified":"2026-10-29T09:38:19","modified_gmt":"2026-10-29T09:38:19","slug":"uk-immigration-reforms-restoring-control-white-paper","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/visavisuk.com\/en\/blog-en\/uk-immigration-reforms-restoring-control-white-paper\/","title":{"rendered":"The UK&#8217;s New Immigration Reforms: Restoring Control over the Immigration System White Paper"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On 12 May 2025, Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced fundamental changes to the UK&#8217;s immigration system. The aim of the new reforms is to bring migration under control, prioritise the domestic workforce and make the system fairer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>It is not yet clear when these reforms will come into force. However, detailed legislative announcements and further information on a transition period are expected to be published towards the end of 2025. <\/strong>For now, the current rules will continue to apply to current application processes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>You can access the full text here:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gov.uk\/government\/publications\/restoring-control-over-the-immigration-system-white-paper\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Restoring Control over the Immigration System: White Paper<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Is ILR (Indefinite Leave to Remain) Increasing to 10 Years?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Yes<\/strong>, under the new reforms, the qualifying period for <strong>ILR (Indefinite Leave to Remain)<\/strong> applications <strong>is increasing to 10 years<\/strong>. However, the document contains no clear statement on whether this will apply to <strong>existing leave<\/strong> and applications. Even so, it includes a statement that <strong>current visa holders<\/strong> <strong>will be able to continue with their current application processes<\/strong> and that <strong>the current rules will apply<\/strong>. This is being interpreted as meaning that the <strong>10-year period<\/strong> change will affect <strong>only new applications<\/strong>. However, once the <strong>detailed legislative announcements<\/strong> are published, we will have clearer information on this point.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Citizenship Reform: A New Approach Integrated with ILR<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Citizenship<\/strong> applications will likewise be integrated with the <strong>ILR process<\/strong>. Individuals who wish to obtain citizenship will also be able to do so through a faster or slower process <strong>according to their contribution<\/strong>. Under the <strong>Points-Based System<\/strong>, the <strong>waiting period<\/strong> for citizenship applications will also be increased, but it will be possible to <strong>shorten<\/strong> this period according to the individual&#8217;s contribution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Other Important Changes<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">1. Skilled Worker Visa: New Requirements and Changes<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The <strong>Skilled Worker visa<\/strong> remains an important route for attracting a highly skilled workforce to the UK. However, with the new reforms, the requirements faced by people seeking this visa are changing:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>With <strong>the raising of skill requirements<\/strong>, occupations previously at <strong>RQF 3 (A-level)<\/strong> are being moved up to <strong>RQF 6 (degree level)<\/strong> and above.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>The salary threshold is being increased<\/strong>, which encourages a higher-paid and more highly skilled workforce.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">These changes have been made to attract a highly skilled workforce to the UK and aim <strong>to improve the quality of the migrant workforce<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">2. Family Reunion and Dependants<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Under the new reforms, <strong>family reunion<\/strong> processes will be subject to stricter rules. The entry requirements for family members coming to the UK are becoming stricter. In this context:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Individuals bringing family members to the United Kingdom will be required to demonstrate language proficiency at <strong>A1 level<\/strong>, and progression of the language level over time up to <strong>A2 and B2 levels<\/strong> will be encouraged.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">3. Education and Students<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Stricter checks will be introduced for <strong>international student visas<\/strong>. In particular, visas for <strong>students coming from lower-ranked universities<\/strong> will be tightened and <strong>dependant visas<\/strong> will be restricted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The length of the <strong>Graduate Route<\/strong> will also be <strong>reduced to 18 months<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">4. Workers and the Workforce<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">New restrictions will be introduced for <strong>lower-skilled labour<\/strong>. In the <strong>Health and Care<\/strong> sector, recruitment of <strong>overseas workers<\/strong> will end, and until 2028 only <strong>in-country switches<\/strong> will be possible. In addition, <strong>new training and workforce strategies<\/strong> will be made mandatory for employers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">5. Integration of Migrants and Language Requirements<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Language proficiency<\/strong> requirements will be extended to all visa types. <strong>English language knowledge from A1 up to B2 level<\/strong> will be required in visa applications, <strong>dependants<\/strong> included. This will be done to encourage the integration of migrants into society.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Conclusion: A Restructured Immigration System<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The UK&#8217;s new immigration reforms aim to <strong>bring migration under control<\/strong>, increase <strong>integration into society<\/strong> and prioritise <strong>contribution to the economy<\/strong>. These changes will not only affect <strong>the lives of migrants<\/strong>, but will also shape the <strong>labour market<\/strong>, <strong>communities<\/strong> and <strong>public services<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If you are planning to move to the UK or are already in this process, it is very important to pay attention to the <strong>current rules<\/strong> and the <strong>planned changes<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">You can contact us with your questions: <a href=\"mailto:team@visavisuk.com\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>team@visavisuk.com<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>On 12 May 2025, Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced fundamental changes to the UK&#8217;s immigration system. Click to read our article covering the details.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1734,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_gspb_post_css":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[81],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3146","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog-en"],"blocksy_meta":[],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/visavisuk.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3146","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/visavisuk.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/visavisuk.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/visavisuk.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/visavisuk.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3146"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/visavisuk.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3146\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3166,"href":"https:\/\/visavisuk.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3146\/revisions\/3166"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/visavisuk.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1734"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/visavisuk.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3146"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/visavisuk.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3146"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/visavisuk.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3146"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}