UK Immigration Updates: Ends overseas recruitment of care workers and Raises Skilled Worker Salary thresholds. Care worker recruiting abroad is discontinued, and skilled worker thresholds are raised in a significant statement of changes to the immigration rules.
Are you looking for a job with visa sponsorship in the UK? Here is a WhatsApp channel that only publishes visa sponsorship jobs. https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Va4bIhd6GcGCVFJLgE2L
The White Paper’s “complete reset” of the immigration system begins with a 138-page statement of changes to the Immigration Rules.
July 1, a significant new statement of changes to the Immigration Rules (HC 997) was released, marking the start of the’sweeping reforms’ to the immigration system that were announced in the Government’s White Paper in May.
The 138-page statement is available for download here. A 12-page explanatory memorandum that goes with the statement is available for download here or to read online here. Below is a ministry statement that summarises the amendments.
The primary adjustments include raising the wage and skill requirements for skilled worker visas starting on July 22, 2025. A bachelor’s degree or an equivalent RQF Level 6 qualification will now be required of new applicants. The explanatory memorandum states that although people currently employed in these occupations will still be eligible for sponsorship, this change will remove some 180 occupations from the list of qualifying roles under the skilled worker route.
The higher skill level criteria will not apply to skilled workers who are currently in the UK. For the time being, workers who are already in the skilled worker route (or who have been sponsored for an application that is later successful) are exempt from the transitional arrangements in this Statement of Changes when the changes take effect from the increase to the skill threshold, according to the explanatory memorandum. This allows current skilled worker visa holders to continue renewing their visas, changing jobs, and taking on additional work in occupations below RQF level 6, as outlined in the Immigration White Paper. These temporary measures won’t last forever and will be examined when the time is right.
As part of a regular pay update, the Skilled Worker route’s income thresholds are being raised to reflect the most recent Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE) statistics. These adjustments finish the remaining rise to both general pay and occupation-specific rates, which had only been slightly raised in April 2025 prior to the White Paper. For a skilled worker visa, the minimum salary required to be sponsored will increase from £38,700 to £41,700. The minimum pay goes up from £34,830 to £37,500 for qualified PhD holders. The new wage thresholds do not have any transitional plans, although this is usual procedure. The Migration Advisory Committee will then conduct an assessment, and after this study is finished, any further transitional measures will be taken into consideration.
Due to extensive abuse, exploitation, and non-compliance in the field, overseas hiring for social care worker positions will likewise stop on July 22, 2025. Transitional measures will permit in-country switching for care workers currently in the UK until July 22, 2028, even though fresh applications from overseas would no longer be accepted. Workers must have worked lawfully for their sponsor for a minimum of three months before submitting their application in order to be eligible. These measures are intended to protect current employees, promote job continuity, and guarantee adherence to fundamental employment standards.
Only essential jobs that support the UK’s industrial strategy or important infrastructure projects will be eligible for time-limited immigration entry for sub-degree level positions under a new temporary shortage occupation list. Employees in jobs on the temporary shortage list will no longer be permitted to travel to the UK with dependents. Discounts for visa fees and salary thresholds will also be eliminated. The MAC has also been hired by the government to examine the scope, pay standards, and benefits related to the temporary shortage list. The MAC’s recommendations will determine whether or not the list is accessible after 2026.
Ministers have cautioned that in order to avoid being shut out of future immigration channels, all sectors must create clear strategies for hiring and training UK workers. Additionally, the government hinted that it would enforce stricter regulations in the event that proof of persistent abuse or exploitation within particular industries surfaced.
The government plans to implement a “complete reset” of the immigration system, according to Home Secretary Yvette Cooper. “These new regulations mean tighter controls to reduce migration, to bring order back to the immigration system, and to make sure we concentrate on investing in skills and training here in the UK,” she said.
Additionally, as of 3 p.m. July 1, the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP) is shutting to new primary applications. The Defence Secretary claims its closure will enable resources to be reallocated to national security priorities, and the Government claims that it now views ARAP as having achieved its initial goal. The closure is the first official step in fulfilling the UK’s pledges to resettle Afghans; the remaining relocations must be finished before the end of current Parliament. The program has helped more than 21,000 Afghan principals and their families relocate to the UK since it began more than four years ago.
Additionally, the statement of modifications is making a few small draughting adjustments to fix other problems and improper paragraph references.
In a written statement to the House of Commons, Seema Malhotra, the Minister for Migration and Citizenship, summarised the revisions as follows:
A Statement of Changes in Immigration Rules is being presented to the House today by my right honourable friend, the Home Secretary.
Statement
Modifications to the Immigration White Paper’s skilled worker and other employment pathways
Published on May 12, 2025, the Immigration White Paper “Restoring Control over the Immigration System” outlined the first wave of work visa reforms, which these revisions put into effect.
The significant modification is that the requirements for skilled worker visas are now higher for occupations at Regulated Qualifications Framework (RQF) level 6 and above (mostly graduate professions) rather than RQF level 3 and above (about A-level capabilities).
In anticipation of an impending comprehensive review of wage requirements (including discounts) by the independent Migration Advisory Committee (MAC), the salary requirements for work visas are being raised in accordance with the most recent data from the Office for National Statistics.
For occupations below the new RQF level 6 barrier, the Immigration Salary List (ISL) and a new, temporary Temporary Shortage List (TSL) offer time-limited, restricted access to the skilled worker route; however, applicants are not permitted to bring dependents. In the future, the MAC will evaluate the TSL and phase down the ISL.
Applications for skilled worker entrance clearance for senior care workers and care workers are being closed, however in-country switching applications will remain open until July 22, 2028, as a transitional phase.
In addition to applying the new regulations to applicants from abroad and those wishing to switch from other routes, the changes include transitional arrangements that permit current holders of skilled worker visas to continue extending their visas, bringing dependents, changing jobs, and taking on additional work in occupations below RQF level 6.
On July 1, 2025, the Immigration Rules will be amended.
As stated in the Statement of Changes, the modifications pertaining to skilled workers and other employment pathways will take effect on July 22, 2025.
This bundle of rule modifications also includes an additional adjustment that will prevent new principal applications for the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP). Today, the Minister of Defense’s Armed Forces is announcing the specifics of that move in a statement.
We will be shutting down the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS) in addition to ARAP. As a result, HMG will neither initiate any new paths nor take on any further referrals. Since 2021, the ACRS has successfully resettled over 12,800 persons, with children making up more over half of these arrivals and women making up 25%.
Those referrals submitted under the ACRS Separated Families pathway that have not yet been decided will be taken into consideration by the Home Office. Any individual who is determined to be eligible for the ACRS and those who have already been determined to be eligible but are not yet in the UK will be honoured by this government.
Disclaimer
Scam Warning: Please take note that the employees at dryankee.in/dd/ will never get in touch with you or ask you to do so in order to deal, help, or make a payment. A scammer is anyone who claims to be representing us in this way.
Note: The sole purpose of this article is to provide information. We are not agents for Visas. Beyond posting openings, we don’t offer any kind of support. Vacancies given on this website are obtained from the Internet. Please check the genuineness of the companies you are applying to while proceeding with the application.
