Immigration News Weekly Roundup – 19 December 2025
The Migration Advisory Committee has released its review of salary requirements for UK work visas, recommending major changes in how skilled workers are sponsored. Practitioners must understand these updates as they impact UK work migration.
The report addresses issues caused by raising occupation-specific salary thresholds to the median in April 2024, which unintentionally excluded certain job titles and disadvantaged higher-paid roles. The MAC states that salary thresholds should prevent undercutting of domestic workers and ensure migrants contribute to public finances, but the current system fails to do effectively.
The Skilled Worker route, MAC recommends a significant shift. The occupation-specific threshold should revert to the 25th percentile of occupational earnings, which the committee believes adequately protects domestic workers from undercutting without excluding legitimate job roles. This is particularly important for roles like software developers, who currently find themselves priced out by the system despite being perfectly legitimate candidates. Simultaneously, the general threshold should remain at £41,700 or be increased to £48,400, depending on whether the Government prioritises fiscal contributions or reducing net migration.
This dual threshold approach recognises that wages vary considerably within occupations. A librarian earning £41,700 should not be prioritised over an IT director earning £85,000 simply because the occupation-specific threshold sits at the median. The recommendation essentially separates the functions of these thresholds, with the general threshold doing the work of restricting lower-paid workers and the occupation-specific threshold protecting against genuinely unfair pay.
The report highlights a distributional concern that practitioners should appreciate. Women applicants appear disproportionately affected by higher thresholds, with earnings more likely to cluster near salary thresholds than male counterparts. This reflects both occupational segregation and within-occupation pay disparities.
For new entrants, the MAC recommends setting a single discounted rate at £33,400 rather than applying percentage discounts. This ensures typical graduates entering professional roles can access the system whilst remaining fiscally beneficial to the UK. The duration of this discount would depend on the undiscounted thresholds chosen, potentially ranging from six to sixteen years. The report acknowledges this creates tension with settlement policy and recommends that the discount should be available for its full duration regardless of visa length.
Regarding PhD holders, the recommendations are stark: abolish the discount entirely. The data shows no evidence that PhD holders earn less than average skilled workers. In fact, they command approximately a seven percent wage premium. Recent PhD graduates also earn more than those with lower qualifications, even when new to the labour market. This discount simply lacks evidence-based justification and should be removed.
The Temporary Shortage List represents a strategic tool for addressing Industrial Strategy priorities. The MAC recommends a general threshold of at least £30,900, based on the Joseph Rowntree Foundation’s minimum income standard for a reasonable standard of living. Importantly, because TSL visas are time-limited and will not permit dependants, fiscal considerations are less pressing than for the Skilled Worker route. However, occupation-specific thresholds should be set at the median, reflecting the fact that these occupations are in shortage and crucial to the UK’s economic growth. No discounts should apply to the TSL, as the route should prioritise recruiting experienced workers rather than providing a pathway for new entrants.
For the Global Business Mobility route (GBM), the Senior or Specialist category particularly requires attention. The current situation where some senior specialist roles face lower salary thresholds than equivalent Skilled Worker roles is frankly perverse. The MAC recommends increasing occupation-specific thresholds to the median, properly reflecting that these workers should be genuinely senior or specialist. The Higher Earners Threshold of £73,900, which has never been updated, should also be revised to £81,300 based on current data.
The Graduate Trainee route within GBM should align with the Skilled Worker new entrant threshold of £33,400, with occupation-specific thresholds abolished due to insufficient data on graduate starting salaries by occupation. This simplification improves clarity for employers using this route.
For Health and Care Worker visas, the recommendations centre on consistency and simplification. Standard non-pay scale occupations should align with skilled worker methodology, reducing complexity. However, pay scale occupations present a particular challenge. The general threshold should be set at the bottom of Band 5 of the Agenda for Change pay scale in the lowest-paying UK nation, currently £29,970 in Northern Ireland. This maintains access for NHS recruitment whilst creating an equitable baseline across all four nations.
Biochemists and biomedical scientists create a specific problem. This occupation contains biomedical scientists who are pay scale workers in the NHS yet are treated as standard occupations in the immigration rules. The Government faces a choice: restrict pay scale treatment to NHS employers or accept that private-sector employers will also access lower thresholds. Practitioners advising private health companies should note this ambiguity requires resolution.
The Scale-up route receives a withering assessment. With fewer than 100 visas granted annually, the MAC questions whether the administrative costs justify its continued existence. If retained, thresholds should simply align with the Skilled Worker route. This removes the main incentive for employers to use this route and will likely render it dormant, but the MAC views simplification as appropriate given minimal uptake.
One critical procedural recommendation warrants attention: salary requirements should be updated annually on a scheduled basis rather than the current irregular pattern. This ensures greater predictability for employers and better aligns the system with evolving labour market conditions. The analysis in this report uses ASHE 2024 data, so any rule changes should incorporate ASHE 2025 when it becomes available.
A final recommendation addresses employer uncertainty. Many sponsors worry about violating employment and equality laws when choosing not to sponsor visa candidates. The MAC suggests the Government clarify that employers are not required to sponsor and can prefer candidates who do not need visas, aiming to ease compliance concerns.
For immigration advisors, the key takeaway is that the MAC recommends changes to make the Skilled Worker route more accessible in lower-paying regions and occupations, while maintaining safeguards. Whether these suggestions will be adopted is uncertain, but their analysis supports potential reform. The reports stress the challenge of balancing fiscal needs, migration concerns, and labour market demands, all which impact thousands of visa applications each year.
Alongside MAC’s review, new international guidelines from the International Association of Refugee and Migration Judges now provide judicial guidance on evaluating social media evidence in refugee and asylum appeals.
The guidelines list eight factors for social media evidence in asylum claims: account changes, selective posts, duration online, audience, deletion ability, official monitoring, safe access, and preservation as evidence. Social media can support or disprove asylum stories and show who might see or act on a post. Courts recognise that political views may form after migration and authorities may collect data secretly over time. Immigration advisors should present complete account info, prove posts were public, and protect privacy, especially for children. The guidelines reflect the global expectation that courts treat social media evidence carefully, noting its value and risks.
Immigration law is changing rapidly. New salary thresholds for skilled workers, updated asylum guidance and judicial standards for social media evidence mean immigration advisors need to work with the most updated information.
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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
Gaon Hart appointed as new Immigration Services Commissioner – UKVI News
The Home Secretary has announced Gaon Hart as the new Immigration Services Commissioner, following an exceptional appointment process, in accordance with the Governance Code on Public Appointments. Mr Hart took over the role of ISC on 12 December, succeeding John Tuckett, who was appointed as Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration earlier this year. For full report, click here
IAA secures interim injunction against unauthorised adviser – UKVI News
On 12 December 2025, the Immigration Advice Authority (IAA) obtained an interim injunction from Chelmsford County Court against Shazia Anjum. The Order, which remains in effect until further notice, prohibits her from the following: providing immigration advice and/ or services in contravention of section 84 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 (the “Act”); and advertising or promoting herself as being able to provide immigration advice and/or services. For full report, click here
Net migration to UK could rise to 300,000 by end of decade – The Guardian
Net migration to the UK could rise to about 300,000 by the end of the decade, a leading Government adviser has said. Prof Brian Bell, the chair of the migration advisory committee, said the overall migration figure would jump “in the medium term” from the current level of 204,000 as the numbers of overseas students and workers rose again. For full report, click here
Court backs ruling that UK unlawfully detained Tamils on Diego Garcia – The Guardian
Appeal court judges have backed a decision that dozens of asylum seekers were unlawfully detained on one of the world’s most remote islands, Exactly a year ago, a judge had ruled that Tamils who arrived on the island of Diego Garcia, a UK and US military base, after a shipwreck while they were trying to reach Canada to seek asylum, were unlawfully detained there for three years. For full report, click here
Home Office fails to protect vulnerable migrants, High Court judge rules – The Guardian
The Home Office has failed to protect vulnerable migrants it locks up in detention centres, a high court judge has ruled. Mrs Justice Jefford found an unlawful failure of the “systems” designed to protect immigration detainees from inhuman and degrading treatment under Article 3 of the European convention on human rights and that these failings had been going on for years. The judgment could affect thousands of people who are at risk behind bars. For full report, click here
Woman who fled rape and torture in DRC wins UK citizenship case after Home Office U-turn – The Guardian
A woman who fled rape and torture in the Democratic Republic of the Congo 18 years ago and was denied British citizenship because she entered the UK illegally has won her case after a Government U-turn. It is thought to be the first victory under a new policy whereby citizenship applications from people such as refugees who enter the UK illegally will normally be refused. She successfully challenged the refusal in a high court case. For full report, click here
Home Office urged to be transparent about deaths of asylum seekers in its care – The Guardian
Human rights and refugee campaigners are calling on the Home Office to be transparent about the numbers of asylum seekers who die in its care by publishing quarterly data as other Government departments do. The only way to obtain data about asylum seeker deaths is via freedom of information (FoI) requests to the Home Office, which officials do not always comply with. However, the NHS produces regular figures about deaths in hospitals and the Ministry of Justice does so with deaths in custody. For full report, click here
Shabana Mahmood dismisses White House’s ‘civilisational erasure’ claims – The Guardian
The US Government’s claims that Europe faces “civilisational erasure” because of mass migration are an attempt to score political points against Muslims, the Home Secretary has suggested. Shabana Mahmood dismissed the idea that European civilisation and national identities were under threat because of migration and said the UK had managed the challenges of multiculturalism “very well”. For full report, click here
Illegal workers arrested in Christmas market raid – The Guardian
Eleven men were arrested for illegal working offences after officers swooped on a Christmas market. Nine men, of Indian, Iraqi and Chinese nationality, were arrested at Kempton Park Market in Surrey, while two men of Indian nationality were arrested at properties nearby. For full report, click here
UK should relax salary requirements for skilled worker visas, advisers say – Financial times
The UK should ease salary requirements for skilled worker visas that exclude some key roles, non-London employers and younger workers from using the immigration system, a Government advisory committee has said. In a report published on Wednesday, the Migration Advisory Committee said the occupation-specific salary threshold was now higher than needed to prevent migrants undercutting UK wages. For full report, click here
Independent Reports
MAC Annual Report, December 2025
The Migration Advisory Committee’s review proposes major changes to UK salary requirements, including occupation-specific thresholds for Skilled Workers and new frameworks for several visa routes. For full report, click here
Judicial Guidelines for the Analysis of Social Media Evidence in Refugee, Protection and Migration appeals, report by International Guidelines for the Analysis of Social Media Evidence in Refugee, Protection and Migration appeals.
The International Association of Refugee and Migration Judges (IARMJ) has published new Judicial Guidelines on the Analysis of Social Media Evidence in Refugee, Protection and Migration Appeals, highlighting the increasing importance of social media in protection cases. For full report, click here
Home Office Guidance and Documents Policy Updates
Guidance: Register of licensed sponsors: workers has been updated on 17th December 2025. To view the updated Guidance, click here
Guidance: Register of licensed sponsors: students has been updated on 17th December 2025. To view the updated Guidance, click here
Guidance: Permitting access to public funds has been updated on 17th December 2025. To view the updated Guidance, click here
Guidance: Thailand: tuberculosis test clinics for a UK visa has been updated on 17th December 2025. To view the updated Guidance, click here
Guidance: Applications from overstayers: caseworker has been updated on 17th December 2025. To view the updated Guidance, click here
Guidance: Financial condition supporter: privacy information notice has been updated on 16th December 2025. To view the updated Guidance, click here
Guidance: Skilled Worker visa: caseworker has been updated on 16th December 2025. To view the updated Guidance, click here
Guidance: Global Business Mobility routes caseworker has been updated on 16th December 2025. To view the updated Guidance, click here
Guidance: Defined certificate of sponsorship: SMS manual 12 has been update on 16th December 2025. To view the updated Guidance, click here
Form: Worker and Temporary Worker priority service request form has been updated on 16th December 2025. To view the updated Form, click here
Guidance: Miscellaneous CAS functions: SMS manual 6 has been updated on 16th December 2025. To view the updated Guidance, click here
Guidance: Reporting worker activity: SMS manual 9 has been updated on 16th December 2025. To view the updated Guidance, click here
Guidance: Creating and assigning CAS: SMS manual 4 has been updated on 16th December 2025. To view the updated Guidance, click here
Guidance: Introduction to the sponsorship management system: SMS manual 1 has been updated on 16th December 2025. To view the updated Guidance, click here
Guidance: Manage your sponsorship licence: SMS manual 2 has been updated on 16th December 2025. To view the updated Guidance, click here
Guidance: Miscellaneous certificate of sponsorship functions: SMS manual 10 has been updated on 16th December 2025. To view the updated Guidance, click here
Guidance: Applications, renewals and services: SMS guide 3 has been updated on 16th December 2025. To view the updated Guidance, click here
Guidance: Temporary Work – Creative Worker certificate of sponsorship: SMS manual 11 has been updated on 16th December 2025. To view the updated Guidance, click here
Guidance: Powers and operational procedure: caseworker has been updated on 15th December 2025. To view the updated Guidance, click here
Guidance: El Salvador: country policy and information notes has been updated on 12th December 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.
