Major immigration reforms delivered to restore order and control. Today, the Home Secretary unveiled the first of many comprehensive changes to the immigration system in an effort to regain control of Britain’s borders.
More than 100 occupations will no longer be able to access the immigration system, skills and wage limits will increase, and foreign recruitment of care workers will stop under new rules that will be introduced in Parliament.
With an emphasis on better skills, fewer applicants, and stricter regulations, these modifications—the first to be implemented from the Immigration White Paper—restore order to the points-based system and mark a significant change in the UK’s immigration policy. They are a crucial step in reducing the UK’s dependency on lower-skilled, foreign hiring.
The UK’s immigration system will function better with the implementation of an interim, time-limited, and conditional temporary shortage list. International recruitment will only be used to fill positions that are essential to the industrial strategy or the construction of vital infrastructure.
In order to retain access to the immigration system, each sector must have a workforce strategy in place to train workers in the United Kingdom.
The Home Secretary stated:
After the previous government let net migration to triple in just four years, we are implementing a comprehensive overhaul of our immigration system to restore appropriate control and order. Stronger controls will be implemented under these new regulations in an effort to reduce migration, get the immigration system back into order, and make sure that we concentrate on investing in education and training in the UK.
We can create an immigration system that meets the needs of the British people and economy as part of the Plan for Change. This system should address exploitation, value talents, and guarantee that visitors to the UK contribute in a meaningful way.
Among the measures in the package are:
The package of measures includes:
- raising the skills threshold for Skilled Worker visas, removing 111 eligible occupations
- closing the social care worker visa route to overseas recruitment in response to widespread abuse and exploitation
- only allowing time-limited access below degree level through a targeted immigration salary list and temporary shortage list, for critical roles only, with strict requirements for sectors to grow domestic skills
- commissioning the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) to conduct a review of the temporary shortage list including occupations, salaries and benefits
Employees in occupations on the temporary shortage list will no longer be eligible for wage and visa fee concessions, nor will they be allowed to bring dependents. The List’s vocations are only valid until the end of 2026, and they won’t be extended past that unless the independent Migration Advisory Committee recommends it.
If there are obvious indications of abuse and exploitation in some industries, the government will not think twice about further restricting immigration access in the meantime. We will eventually do away with the immigration salary list from the previous administration as well. The reforms will take effect on July 22nd, subject to legislative approval. Transitional plans have also been outlined today for foreign care workers who are currently in the UK.
Next actions
By the conclusion of this year, more modifications will also be made, including:
- increasing the skills charge for immigration
- Improving language standards throughout the immigration process
- presenting to Parliament a new framework for family policy
The Immigration White Paper is a component of a larger immigration and border security reform package; later this year, further border security and asylum measures will be announced.