Skilled worker visas for the United Kingdom will now require applicants to possess a university degree, as part of sweeping new immigration policies announced by Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer. The measures also introduce tighter restrictions on recruitment for jobs with skills shortages.
In a major policy shift, the Prime Minister said the UK’s “broken” immigration system will undergo a comprehensive overhaul alongside the release of a new migration white paper. The aim, according to Starmer, is to significantly reduce net migration and restore public confidence in the system.
Key elements of the new rules include:
Migrants will now be required to spend up to ten years in the UK before they can apply for citizenship.
English language tests will be toughened across all visa categories. For the first time, family members of migrants will also be required to pass English tests and demonstrate a commitment to integrating into British society.
The care worker visa route will be closed to new overseas recruits, a pathway ministers blame for driving record migration numbers.
Only “high-contributing” migrants, such as doctors and nurses, will be eligible for fast-tracked settlement.
The government will also act to prevent foreign criminals from using human rights laws to block deportation, insisting that those who break British law “give up their right to be here.”
Starmer described the changes as a “clean break from the past” and said settlement in the UK will now be treated as a privilege that must be earned, not an automatic right.
The Labour government’s move comes in the wake of its recent defeat in the Runcorn and Helsby by-election, where Reform UK’s Sarah Pochin claimed a shock victory, delivering a significant boost to Nigel Farage’s party earlier this month.
