Changes to UK visa and settlement rules after the 2025 immigration white paper

On 12 May 2025 the government published a white paper policy document called Restoring control over the immigration system. The document proposed some changes to make it harder to move to and settle in the UK, with a view to reducing net migration.

A white paper does not, by itself, alter the law or the immigration rules. It puts forward changes the government intends to make in future. Some of the white paper’s proposals have been implemented since May, while others are still to come.

What changes did the May 2025 immigration white paper propose?

The document covered both high-level principles and specific policy changes. Among its many proposals, eight were detailed enough to be quantified: that is, civil servants included some rough illustrations of how much they might reduce net migration (PDF).

These eight proposals were:

Shortening the list of jobs for which employers can sponsor a worker from overseas for a Skilled Worker visa. Jobs assessed as being medium-skilled – RQF levels 3-5 – would not be sponsorable unless the Migration Advisory Committee recommends an exemption and the industry is demonstrating efforts to recruit domestically.

Ending an existing exemption for social care workers, so that employers would no longer be allowed to recruit them from abroad.

Exploring a levy on English universities’ income from international student fees.

Making it harder for universities to keep their licence to sponsor student visas by introducing tougher compliance rules.

Reducing the standard length of the Graduate visa, for international students to stay on and work in the UK, from two years to 18 months.

Stricter English language rules: higher standards for those already taking language tests, and requiring the partners of people moving to the UK on work visas to have basic English to qualify for a ‘dependant’ visa.

Increasing the standard qualifying period for permanent residence (also known as indefinite leave to remain or settlement) from five to ten years, with some people qualifying sooner based on criteria to be decided following public consultation.

Making it easier for people to come to the UK on certain visas aimed at highly skilled migrants, such as the Global Talent and High Potential routes.

Most of these changes can be made by amending the immigration rules. They do not require an act of Parliament, except for the levy on student fees.

The white paper is a wide-ranging document and covered many other issues as well. These included a new Labour Market Evidence Group, reforms to family and dependant visas, Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights, and deportation of foreign national offenders.

Most questions from constituents have focused on the proposal to extend the qualifying period for indefinite leave to remain (see below). There have been no changes in this area yet but the Home Office has begun its public consultation. The Home Affairs Committee of MPs, which is not part of the government, is also holding an inquiry.

When are the changes coming in?

There is no overall timetable for the white paper proposals to come into force. So far, the main relevant changes are:

An initial reduction to the list of jobs eligible for Skilled Worker visa sponsorship took effect on 22 July 2025. The revised list will be in place until the end of 2026; the Migration Advisory Committee is reviewing which medium-skilled jobs should be on the list beyond that.

Overseas recruitment of social care workers also ended on 22 July 2025.

Some liberalisation of the High Potential and Global Talent routes took effect in November 2025.

Looking ahead:

New applicants for Skilled Worker, Scale-up and High Potential Individual visas will need B2 English (a higher standard than the current B1) from 8 January 2026.

The changes to indefinite leave to remain qualifying periods are planned to begin in April 2026.

Graduate visas will only last 18 months if the person applies from 1 January 2027 (but 36 months if they have a PhD).

In addition, regulations to increase the immigration skills charge are due to come into force on 16 December 2025 following parliamentary approval.

Are people on a Graduate visa affected by the changes to Skilled Worker visa eligibility?

Yes.

Graduate visas do not require sponsorship but cannot be extended. Some people on a Graduate visa expected to transition from that visa onto a sponsored Skilled Worker visa, potentially with their existing employer.

If that person’s occupation was removed from the Skilled Worker eligibility list in July 2025, that option is no longer available. This has affected Graduate visa holders in medium-skilled jobs in sectors such as transport, dentistry and prisons.

Will migrants have to wait ten years for indefinite leave to remain?

The government announced more details of this proposal on 20 November 2025. The ‘baseline’ qualifying period for many migrants would be ten years, but some people will be able to qualify sooner and others will take longer. The qualifying periods will now depend much more on each person’s individual circumstances.

For example, people in higher-skilled jobs who earn over £50,270 or work in public sector healthcare and education roles would still qualify after five years. Volunteering in the community would allow indefinite leave after five to seven years. But those working in medium-skilled jobs would take up to 15 years, refugees would take 20 years (unless arriving by resettlement programmes), and non-refugees who secured their visa after illegal entry or overstaying would take up to 30 years. Others would not qualify at all, including if they have not earned £12,570 for three to five years (and do not have an “alternative amount of income”).

This is all subject to the consultation that runs until 12 February 2026.

Which visa categories will be affected by the longer qualifying periods?

People with post-Brexit residence rights under the EU Settlement Scheme are entirely “out of scope” of the changes.

In addition, partners of British citizens and people on the Hong Kong BNO visa would continue to qualify for settlement after five years. But they would need to have the £12,570 minimum earnings and meet the other new “minimum mandatory requirements” such as B2 English (see page 24 of the consultation document).

The consultation asks for views on whether other groups, such as victims of domestic abuse and children who grew up in the UK, should also remain at five years.

This means that people on Skilled Worker and dependant visas, with refugee status, or who currently qualify based on long residence are among those affected.

Will people already in the UK be affected by the settlement changes?

The consultation says “we propose to apply these changes to everyone in the country today who has not already received indefinite leave to remain. This would mean that those who are due to reach settlement in the coming months and years would be subject to the new requirements for earned settlement, as soon as our immigration rules have changed”. The Home Secretary told MPs that the immigration rules will begin to change from April 2026.

This is subject to the final outcome of the consultation, which invites views on whether there should be “transitional arrangements” to exempt some people already in the UK. The accompanying press release suggests that this might be considered for “borderline cases”.

Will there be changes to settlement rules apart from the qualifying periods?

Yes. As immigration lawyer Nick Rollason has said, this would be the biggest overhaul of the UK’s legal migration model for 50 years (leaving Brexit aside).

For example, the consultation says that accompanying partners of people on work visas will now need qualify for indefinite leave to remain in their own right rather than alongside their sponsor. It also suggests that those granted indefinite leave to remain will no longer gain access to the welfare system as a result – they would stay on ‘no recourse to public funds‘ – with the right to claim benefits restricted to British citizens.

Will MPs be voting on the white paper changes?

Unlikely, in most cases. Revision of visa and settlement regulations is done through statements of changes to the immigration rules. A statement of changes takes effect automatically, without a vote being necessary.

To reject the changes, MPs must approve a motion expressing disapproval of the new rules within 40 days. Some MPs tabled such a motion in relation to the July 2025 statement of changes connected to the white paper, but the government is not obliged to allow a debate or vote on the motion. There was no House of Commons vote on the Conservative government’s significant changes to visa rules in 2024.

There may however be non-binding debates which do not involve a motion to disapprove the rules. MPs held such a debate on 8 September 2025.

Certain elements of the white paper proposals, such as the levy on international student fees and changes to naturalisation law, do require an act of Parliament and therefore the endorsement of MPs.

Culled from: https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/cbp-10267/