5 Point UK Immigration Plan Announced

The UK government has unveiled a new 5-point immigration plan, with the aim of reducing net migration and tackling abuse of the immigration system.

The headline changes include increasing the minimum salaries that foreign national workers and family sponsors must earn, and significantly lowering the numbers of dependants permitted to come to the UK.

The changes are expected to take effect in Spring 2024.

Health & care worker visa restrictions

The Government will be preventing overseas care workers applying for a Health and Care Worker visa from bringing their dependants with them to the UK. This includes parents and dependant children.

In addition, care providers in England will now only be able to sponsor migrant workers if they are undertaking activities regulated by the Care Quality Commission.

Increase in minimum salary threshold for sponsored workers

The skilled worker visa minimum salary threshold will increase from £26,200 to £38,700 from next Spring. Health and care visas will be exempt from the higher salary threshold

Increase in minimum salary threshold for sponsors of family visas

The minimum income required for British citizens and those settled in the UK to sponsor family members to join them is also increasing, from £18,600 to £38,700.

Immigration Salary List to replace Shortage Occupation List

The Shortage Occupation List will be replaced with a new Immigration Salary List. The new list will retain a general threshold discount, but will not feature the 20% going rate salary discount for shortage occupations.

The 20% salary discount for roles on the Shortage Occupation List is to be abolished and the list as a whole is to be overhauled. given the new higher, skilled worker salary threshold, the Government has commissioned the Migration Advisory Committee to review the roles currently on the list with a view to reducing the number of occupations on the list.

Graduate route reform

The Graduate route is also to be revised to bring the rules on dependants in line with student visa holders.

Need assistance?

We now await further details of how the new rules will be implemented and whether any transitional arrangements will be put in place for those already in the UK on affected routes.

However, the changes are set to directly impact UK employers of foreign workers and will merit a review of your organisation’s current international recruitment policies, procedures and plans to account for the new rules.

To discuss how your organisation and sponsored workers may be affected, and for more information about what the 5-point plan means for your organisation’s overseas recruitment programme and visa sponsorship, contact our immigration advisers.

 
Last updated: 5 December 2023