UK unveils stricter Visa rules in new immigration white paper

In a significant overhaul of its immigration policy, the UK government has released a new White Paper outlining tougher visa rules for foreign workers. The proposed changes aim to reduce net migration, promote economic growth, and ensure that industries invest in domestic talent instead of relying heavily on overseas labour.

Key proposals include:

Doubling the settlement period for points-based visas from 5 to 10 years.

Reducing the duration of graduate visas to 18 months.

Increasing the Immigration Skills Charge by 32% to align with inflation.

At the heart of the reforms are five core principles:

Reducing net migration to manageable levels.

Aligning immigration with UK skills and training needs, discouraging industries from depending solely on migrant labour.

Making the system clearer and fairer, particularly in areas like family life and legal clarity.

Enforcing immigration rules, including stricter action against illegal work and foreign criminals.

Promoting integration, with new rules around English proficiency and contribution to British society.

Key Labour Market and Work Visa Changes:

The qualification threshold for skilled workers will be raised back to RQF Level 6 and above, and salary requirements will be increased.

Social care visas will be closed to new international applicants. However, those already in the UK can continue under a transitional arrangement until 2028.

A new Labour Market Evidence Group will be formed to base immigration decisions on up-to-date workforce data.

Employers in sectors with high international recruitment will be required to submit workforce strategies to improve domestic hiring.

A Temporary Shortage Occupation List will be introduced to allow limited-time access to foreign recruitment for roles experiencing long-term shortages, based on Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) recommendations.

The government will explore penalties for employers that fail to invest in local training while using the immigration system.

The White Paper reaffirms the UK’s intention to remain open to top-tier global talent, with targeted visa pathways for the highly skilled and world-class professionals.

With these sweeping changes, the UK is signaling a shift toward a more self-reliant labour market, focused on sustainable, long-term talent development over quick migration fixes.