Immigration is currently a key area of focus for the UK government as shown by the publication of the “Restoring Control Over the Immigration System” white paper published on 12 May 2025 (“the White Paper”) and the references to immigration included within the government’s policy paper, “the UK’s Modern Industrial Strategy” published on 23 June 2025 (“the Industrial Strategy”) which provides further detail to some of the policies outlined in the White Paper.
The Industrial Strategy set out the below areas of immigration which form part of the Industrial Strategy:
- High Potential Individual: The proposal is for a capped and targeted expansion of the High Potential Individual route. This route allows individuals who are top graduates to stay in the UK for up to 2 or 3 years (depending on the qualification level) where they have been awarded a qualification by an eligible university within the last 5 years. This expansion will double the number of qualifying universities from the start of the next academic year.
- Innovator Founder Route: There will be a review of the Innovator Founder route to ensure entrepreneurial talent currently studying at UK universities can move onto an Innovator Founder visa. This visa is available to individuals who want to set up and run an innovative business in the UK (different to anything else currently available), or the business or idea has been approved by an endorsing body. In any event the business must be new, innovative, viable and scalable. This route provides permission to stay in the UK for up to 3 years.
- Global Talent route: Currently, this route is available to leaders or potential leaders, over the age of 18, to live and work in the UK for up to 5 years, who have won an eligible prestigious prize or in the absence of this, hold an endorsement proving they are a leader or potential leader, in the following sectors: academia or research, arts and culture or digital technology. It is proposed that this will be made more accessible to promising top talent. There will be an expanded range of fellowships and a broadening of the range of design talent that can access the visa. There will be a Global Talent Taskforce to support high-growth sectors and to attract talented individuals to the UK. This will be supported by a £54 million Global Talent Fund (which aims to support c. 10 world-class international researchers and their teams to work in the UK before the end of 2026). In addition, new Turing AI Global Fellowships will be available for overseas researchers and will provide £25 million of multi-year funding for academics to build a team and conduct groundbreaking AI research at a UK institution.
The timing of the above changes is currently unknown. However, we understand that the changes listed below are on the horizon to be implemented soon.
- Temporary Shortage List (“TSL”): A new TSL has been published which lists 52 occupations (for occupations with a skilled requirement of A Level or higher but below degree level) which are crucial to delivering the government’s Industrial Strategy and where there have been long term shortages. These occupations will be temporarily exempted (until the end of 2026) from the planned increase to the skills threshold for Skilled Worker visas. The planned increase will restrict the roles capable of sponsorship under the Skilled Workers visa to those of graduate level (and therefore not including A-level equivalent roles which can currently be sponsored).The TSL will be reviewed in the spring of 2026, all roles will be automatically removed from the TSL unless the Migration Advisory Committee states otherwise – for a role to be added or remain on the TSL past the end of 2026, there will need to be an appropriate plan in place with the relevant sectors of these occupations to develop domestic skills and increase local recruitment. Those on the TSL will not be able to bring dependents with them and they will not be provided with salary or visa fee discounts. These changes will come into effect from 22 July 2025.
In addition to the renewed commitment to immigration demonstrated in the Industrial Strategy, the first of several changes to the immigration rules detailed in the White Paper will come into effect in July 2025:
- From 15 July 2025:
- Vignette stickers are no longer provided to individuals on the Skilled Worker and Global Talent routes. Instead, eVisas will be issued. This will mean that individuals do not need to attend a visa application centre multiple times and do not need to send their passport for a vignette to be inserted.
- From 16 July 2025:
- Individuals with pre-settled status who are applying under the EU Settlement Scheme (otherwise referred to as the EUSS) for settled status (either as a result of an application or an automatic upgrade) will be eligible for settled status, if they have been resident in the UK for at least 30 months in total in the most recent 60-month period (these can be any months, they do not need to be consecutive). Currently to be eligible holders of pre-settled status must not have been absent from the UK for more than 6 months within any 12 month period (subject to certain exceptions).
- Clarification in respect to when an Electronic Travel Authorisation (known as ETAs, which are required for all nationals, from the list countries, who enter the UK either: as a visitor or on a temporary work: creative worker visa) will be required for journeys from the Republic of Ireland (“ROI”) to the UK. All nationals required to obtain an ETA (except for S2 Healthcare Visitors) who enter the UK from the ROI will be required to obtain an ETA in advance of travel to the UK except where entry to the UK from the ROI is across a land border.
- From 22 July 2025:
- Raising the skills threshold for skilled worker visas to the equivalent of a UK bachelor’s degree or higher (and associated changes to salary thresholds as a result) and removing 111 occupations from the list of roles eligible for a skilled worker visa. Current Skilled Worker visa holders can still extend, bring dependents, change employment and take on supplementary work below RQF level 6 but this will not apply indefinitely and is subject to future review.
- Increase to salary thresholds for new applicants to the Skilled Worker, Global Business Mobility and Scale Up routes including general rates and discounted rates. Employers will need to ensure that applications after this date reflect the increased thresholds for individuals extending or changing sponsor.
- Closing the care worker visa route to overseas recruitment.
- The introduction of the TSL.
- From 29 July 2025:
- Time spent as a British citizen (except where the citizenship has subsequently been deprived) will now count as “lawful presence” for an Indefinite Leave to Remain application.
- Provided an applicant’s most recent grant of immigration permission was in the UK, any time spent lawfully in the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man, on an immigration route equivalent to immigration routes available in the UK, will be treated as time spent in the UK for “continuous residence” purposes for an Indefinite Leave to Remain application.
The following changes outlined in the White Paper are also expected to be implemented by the end of 2025:
- The amount of the immigration skills charge will be increased (by 32%);
- The language requirements across the UK’s immigration system will be increased, this will apply to visa holders and their dependents. For example, language requirements for Skilled Worker visas will be increased from B1 to B2 and those looking to achieve settled status will need to demonstrate a progression to B2.
What steps should employers be taking?
With tighter controls on entering the UK coming into force as a result of the government’s focus on immigration, we would recommend that employers review their workforce to understand what these changes mean for them, to ensure they implement any changes as they come into effect (e.g. increases in salaries) and to explore alternatives to ensure that they are prepared for these changes in particular those that apply to business immigration.