Immigration News Weekly Roundup – 16 May 2025
This week the UK Government published a significant new White Paper titled Restoring Control over the Immigration System, outlining major reforms that will reshape the country’s immigration landscape. Prime Minister Keir Starmer, while acknowledging migration’s important role in Britain’s story, emphasized that immigration needs to be reduced significantly, promising a system that is “controlled, selective and fair.”
The 82-page document, published on May 12, 2025, represents the most comprehensive overhaul of immigration rules in years. At its core, the reforms aim to reduce net migration by significantly tightening requirements across work, study, and settlement routes.
One of the most consequential changes involves extending the standard qualifying period for settlement from five years to ten. This will affect most migrants on the path to permanent residency, though certain exceptions will remain, including a shorter pathway for non-UK dependants of British citizens, who will continue on a five-year route.
The skilled worker visa route will undergo substantial revision, with qualification thresholds rising to bachelor’s degree level (RQF 6). This change will effectively remove approximately 180 occupations from eligibility. Salary thresholds will also increase, though specific figures weren’t detailed in the initial announcement.
For international recruitment in sectors below RQF 6, access to the Points-Based System will be limited to occupations on a new Temporary Shortage List. These will be time-limited and require several conditions: MAC endorsement, evidence of long-term shortages, a workforce strategy, and employer commitment to increasing domestic recruitment.
The social care sector faces particularly dramatic changes, with the White Paper confirming the closure of care worker visas for new applications from abroad. A transition period until 2028 will allow visa extensions and in-country switching for those already in the UK with working rights, but this arrangement will be kept under review.
For employers, the Immigration Skills Charge will increase by 32% – the first rise since its introduction in 2017. The government has indicated these funds will be reinvested in domestic skills development through the spending review.
Language requirements are set to become more stringent across various routes. Skilled Workers and other workers who already face language requirements will need to demonstrate B2 (Independent User) level English proficiency, up from the current B1 standard. Adult dependants of workers and students will face a new A1 (Basic User) requirement, aligning with existing rules for spouses and partners.
English language progression will become mandatory, with visa extensions requiring A2 level and settlement requiring B2 level. These changes reflect the government’s emphasis on integration and community cohesion.
The Graduate visa route will see its duration reduced from two years to 18 months, with the government arguing that too many graduates on this visa aren’t in graduate-level employment. Those wishing to remain beyond this period will need to secure a graduate job and switch to a skilled worker visa.
For educational institutions, there will be stricter compliance requirements, including a five-percentage point increase in each Basic Compliance Assessment metric. A new Red-Amber-Green banding system will publicly identify institutions’ compliance performance levels, with interventions for those at risk of failing their metrics.
Enforcement measures will be strengthened significantly, with the White Paper promising to make it easier to refuse entry or asylum to those who break rules or laws. The government is introducing measures to track down, arrest, and remove those who violate immigration rules, simplifying processes for removing foreign national offenders.
Digital identity management will be rolled out for all overseas citizens through eVisas, replacing the Biometric Residence Permit cards. The government has also redeployed 1,000 staff into enforcement and returns roles since the election.
The White Paper indicates the government will consult later this year on implementing new “earned settlement and citizenship” rules. This points-based approach would allow individuals to potentially reduce the ten-year qualifying period based on their contributions to the UK economy and society.
Immigration advisors should prepare clients for these substantial changes, particularly the doubling of the settlement qualifying period and the significantly higher barriers for skilled worker visas. With many of these reforms likely to be implemented in the coming months, understanding the transition arrangements and helping clients meet these changes will be essential.
With the government unveiling its sweeping immigration White Paper, HJT brings you a timely 60-minute LIVE session with expert Barrister Mark Symes. As immigration rules undergo their most significant shake-up in years, Mark will cut through the complexity of doubling settlement periods, bachelor’s degree requirements for skilled workers, and stricter language testing.
This practical session will examine the most recent updates and an overview of Immigration changes. To book your spot, visit here
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For the full list of updates on media news, reports and Home Office Guidance and Policy updates, SEE BELOW.
Immigration News
Immigration White Paper to reduce migration and strengthen border – UKVI News
Measures unveiled in the immigration white paper published on 12 May, will reshape our immigration system towards those who contribute most to economic growth, with higher skills standards for graduates and workers. New requirements on employers to boost domestic training will end the reliance on international recruitment, restoring order to a failed system that saw net migration quadruple between 2019 and 2023.
For full report, click here
1.5m foreign workers already in UK could face longer wait for permanent settlement – The Guardian
About 1.5 million foreign workers who have moved to Britain since 2020 may have to wait a further five years to apply for permanent settlement, in a move that will concern Labour MPs. Under changes set out in the immigration white paper, automatic settlement and citizenship rights will be granted after 10 years instead of five. But the paper did not specify whether this would apply to recent arrivals already in the UK and in the process of their application.
For full report, click here
No 10 defends Starmer’s language on immigration likened to Enoch Powell speech – The Guardian
A series of MPs criticised Starmer for his rhetoric when introducing a new policy paper on immigration on Monday, particularly his warning that the UK risked becoming “an island of strangers”, a near-direct echo of language used by Powell in his infamous 1968 “rivers of blood” speech.
For full report, click here
Husband fears missing childbirth due to Labour’s new English proficiency test – The Guardian
A couple fear they will be unable to be together for the birth of their first child due to Labour’s plan to increase the standard of English proficiency required before people can enter the UK. The plans are contained in the new immigration white paper that introduces a new English language requirement across a broader range of immigration routes for both main applicants and dependants, including an assessment of improvements over time.
For full report, click here
Starmer accused of echoing far right with ‘island of strangers’ speech – The Guardian
Keir Starmer has defended his plans to curb net migration after an angry backlash from MPs, businesses and industry to a speech in which he said the UK risked becoming an “island of strangers” without tough new policies.
For full report, click here
‘Things could fall over’: businesses and public services on Starmer’s immigration crackdown – The Guardian
Keir Starmer’s blueprint for curbing immigration could exacerbate skills shortages in sectors that would “fall over” without immigrant labour, the prime minister has been told. Starmer said that businesses in particular had become “almost addicted to importing cheap labour” rather than investing in UK talent.
For full report, click here
English test among range of Labour measures to control immigration – The Guardian
Adults accompanying foreign workers to the UK will be expected to pass an English language test and care homes will be prevented from recruiting staff from abroad as part of a swathe of new measures to be revealed by Keir Starmer to “tighten up” the immigration system. Amid a recent surge in support for Reform UK, the prime minister will say on Monday that overseas arrivals should commit “to learning our language” and will promise to overhaul a “broken system” that encourages businesses to “bring in lower-paid workers”.
For full report, click here
Labour axing care worker visa will put services at risk, say unions and care leaders – The Guardian
Unions and care providers have accused the government of putting services at risk after it confirmed plans to shut down the overseas care worker visa route. The long-awaited immigration white paper, to be published on Monday, includes measures to ban new recruitment from abroad for care roles, as part of a wider effort to reduce legal migration and prioritise UK-based workers.
For full report, click here
I can no longer see a future in the UK’: new citizenship guidance shuts out refugees – The Guardian
On 9 February this year refugee cinematographer Ayman Alhussein was excitedly planning his future career and preparing to apply for British citizenship. On 10 February everything changed for him and tens of thousands of others. On that day the government announced that refugees will “normally” be denied the right to apply for British citizenship even though they have been given permission to live and work in the UK.
For full report, click here
Plan to fast-track appeals of some UK asylum seekers could face legal backlash – The Guardian
A plan to fast-track the appeals of asylum seekers living in government-funded hotels could face multiple legal challenges on the grounds of discrimination, the government has said. A 24-week legal deadline on appeal decisions for those staying in hotel rooms is being introduced in an attempt to fulfil a Labour manifesto promise to end a practice that costs the taxpayer billions of pounds a year.
For full report, click here
Modern slavery victims opt to stay with exploiters for fear of deportation, research finds – The Guardian
Modern slavery victims are choosing to stay with their exploiters rather than access government support designed to protect them for fear of immigration enforcement, research has found. The independent anti-slavery commissioner, Eleanor Lyons, said the system was “deeply broken”.
For full report, click here
Care firms say they face struggle to hire locally – BBC News UK
Care companies in Lincolnshire fear they will struggle to hire enough workers if the government stops them recruiting from overseas. The prime minister unveiled plans to ban recruitment of foreign care workers and tighten access to skilled worker visas, among other measures, on Monday in an effort to curb the level of legal immigration.
For full report, click here
The view on immigration from a town transformed by it – BBC News UK
It has transformed the town, a place that has witnessed a faster than average population rise between the last two Censuses (2011 – 2021) and where almost one in five residents (17.8%) were born outside the UK. So what do the prime minister’s words mean here, when he warned that without changes to cut migration, the UK was at risk of becoming an “island of strangers”?
For full report, click here
What are the challenges facing the government’s immigration plan? – BBC News UK
When it comes to reducing UK immigration, there have been plenty of promises and targets from successive governments over the last 15 years, but the numbers remain high. Prime Minister Keir Starmer is now pledging to “take back control of our borders”, promising tighter rules to bring down the numbers “significantly”.
For full report, click here
Case Law
Bibi, R (On the Application Of) v Secretary of State for the Home Department [2025] EWCA Civ 622 (13 May 2025)
The Court of Appeal unanimously dismissed Ms Bibi’s appeal against the Upper Tribunal’s refusal to grant permission for judicial review of her visitor visa rejection. The case highlighted procedural issues where the appellant improperly attempted to advance unpleaded grounds of appeal. Lady Justice Andrews emphasised the importance of procedural rigour in public law litigation, rejecting the argument that the Secretary of State had a duty to notify the appellant about her failure to disclose previous visa refusals before making a decision. The Court also found that even if procedural unfairness existed, the outcome would have been the same due to multiple independent grounds for visa refusal.
For full decision, click here
QY (Vietnam) v Secretary of State for the Home Department [2025] EWCA Civ 607
The case concerns whether the Upper Tribunal correctly identified errors of law in a First-tier Tribunal decision. By majority, the Court of Appeal upheld the Upper Tribunal’s ruling that the FTT judge failed to adequately explain how “serious concerns” about the appellant’s credibility were overcome in finding his asylum account plausible. The case involved a Vietnamese national who claimed exemption from military service but alleged corruption and persecution. The appeal was dismissed, requiring a new FTT hearing with proper reasoning for any findings made.
For full decision, click here
U3 v Secretary of State for the Home Department [2025]
The UK Supreme Court unanimously dismissed the appeal in clarifying SIAC’s proper approach to national security assessments. The Court held that when reviewing citizenship deprivation and entry clearance decisions, SIAC should apply public law principles rather than requiring facts to be proven on a balance of probabilities. National security risk assessments involve evaluative judgments about possibilities that may fall short of 51% probability but still provide rational grounds for the Secretary of State’s decision. The Court confirmed SIAC correctly deferred to the Secretary of State’s expertise while ensuring the proportionality of interferences with Article 8 rights.
For full decision, click here
Independent Report
Restoring Control over the Immigration System, HM Government, May 2025
To read the full White Paper, click here
Home Office Guidance and Documents Policy Updates
Guidance: Travel documents – no time limit: caseworker has been updated on 14th May 2025. To view the updated Guidance, click here
Guidance China Country Policy and Information Notes has been updated. To view the updated Guidance, click here
Guidance: Register of licensed sponsors: students has been updated on 14th May 2025. To view the updated Guidance, click here
Guidance: Register of licensed sponsors: workers has been updated on 14th May 2025. To view the updated Guidance, click here
Guidance: UKRI endorsement: endorsed funders (Global Talent visa) has been updated on 13th May 2025. To view the updated Guidance, click here
Guidance: Registering under special circumstances: caseworker has been updated on 13th May 2025. To view the updated Guidance, click here
Guidance: Prove your English language abilities with a secure English language test (SELT) has been updated on 12th May 2025. To view the updated Guidance, click here
Guidance: Algeria: country policy and information notes has been updated on 09th May 2025. To view the updated Guidance, click here
Written by Shareen Khan – Legal Content Writer, HJT Training
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Disclaimer: This blog post is intended for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Immigration advisors should consult the full decisions and official policy documents when advising clients on specific cases.
