Plans to impose further limits on work and family visas are announced by the UK

The UK’s ruling Conservative party announced plans on Monday to impose new yearly limits on family and work visas in an attempt to reduce immigration. Rising net migration levels, a major topic in the impending July election, are the reason behind this idea.

work and family visas

In an attempt to overcome Labour’s Keir Starmer, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak suggested that parliament decide how many visas are granted annually. The purpose of the action is to allay public fears regarding immigration, which increased by 685,000 net last year. Even though this amount is marginally less than in 2018, it is still far higher than in 2019, when the Conservatives pledged to cut immigration.

Labour leader Keir Starmer unveiled his party’s immigration policy over the weekend, emphasising the need to cut back on regular migration. As part of his policy, Starmer intends to penalise firms who violate labour regulations and to place a higher priority on educating British workers than on hiring foreign workers.

The announcement made by the prime minister is intended to emphasise the Conservatives’ dedication to stricter immigration laws in advance of a crucial discussion between Sunak and Starmer on Tuesday that will focus on important election-related topics.

“To reduce the number of immigrants entering our nation, we have made audacious decisions. We are moving forward since the plan is effective yet the rate of migration is still too high, according to Sunak. He continued, “The Conservatives are the only party that is willing to take the bold action needed to cut immigration figures.”

The goal of the planned annual cap reduction is to decrease the number of migrants without affecting foreign students or seasonal workers. It will be gradually lowered each year. More over 300,000 work visas were granted in the year that ended in March 2024, according to official statistics—more than twice as many as in the previous year.

This year, the Conservative administration has enacted a number of legislation in an attempt to regulate immigration. These include raising the minimum wage requirement for skilled worker visas and imposing restrictions on the ability of international students and social workers to bring dependents. Due to these actions, the number of applications for visas related to health and social care has drastically decreased, raising fears about a labour shortage in the industry.

Yvette Cooper, the shadow home minister for Labour, called the new policy a “meaningless announcement.”

Furthermore, there have been delays in the government’s initiative to manage irregular migration by sending rejected asylum seekers back to Rwanda. It was admitted by Prime Minister Sunak that this plan will not be implemented before to the election.

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