The UK government’s new white paper sets out a major shift in the rules for skilled migration to Britain. Here’s everything you need to know.
14 May 2025 | By Alex Schulte
On May 12 2025, the UK government released its highly anticipated immigration white paper, titled ‘Restoring Control Over the Immigration System’.
This 76-page document sets an agenda of sweeping reforms designed to significantly reduce net migration, restore control over borders, and reshape Britain’s immigration landscape.
These reforms represent the most substantial overhaul of UK immigration policy since the UK left the EU in 2020. They will affect work visas, family migration, student routes, settlement pathways, and enforcement measures.
Here’s your full briefing of the white paper’s provisions – and what they will mean for businesses, educational institutions, and migrants themselves.
Why the Government is Setting New Immigration Rules
The white paper is the Government’s response to unprecedented levels of migration to the UK. The net number of new arrivals quadrupled from 224,000 in 2019 to a record high of 906,000 in the year ending June 2023.
This surge was driven by the previous Conservative government’s post-Brexit revisions to the immigration system. Between 2020 and 2021, the Tory government significantly expanded the availability of visa routes through the creation of the Skilled Worker visa and its sub-route, the Health and Care visa. Both routes were uncapped and allowed holders to bring their dependents into the UK with them. Companies – including care homes and NHS healthcare providers – were able to hire foreign staff by sponsoring their licences.
Over the following years, the number of actual applicants for this route far surpassed expectations. Official projections held that the Health and Care visa would receive 6,000 ad 40,000 applications this year. The 146,182 successful applications between February 2022 and October 2023 show this to have been a drastic underestimate.
Since the Labour Party took office after the July 2024 General Election, public anger over these historically high levels of migration has coalesced into rising support for the populist right-wing party Reform UK. The Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, thus used the long-promised immigration white paper as a pulpit to see off this threat.
In the PM’s press conference on May 12, he emphasised that the reforms must mark “a clean break with the past”, creating an immigration system that is “controlled, selective, and fair”. Home Secretary Yvette Cooper stated that the white paper is built on five core principles:
- Reducing net migration
- Linking immigration to domestic upskilling
- Ensuring fairness and effectiveness
- Enforcing rules
- Supporting integration
To this end, the white paper contains significant structural changes to the reigning logic of the UK immigration system, along with some more incremental tweaks.
The Immigration White Paper’s New Rules – At a Glance
- Minimum qualification thresholds for the Skilled Worker visa route are rising to degree level
- Routes designed to welcome high-skill talent into the UK will be expanded
- Minimum salary thresholds will rise across the board, with other visa costs also increased
- The period before migrants can apply for Indefinite Leave to Remain has been doubled, to ten years – but can be reduced with evidence of societal and economic contributions
- The duration of the Graduate visa has been cut from two years to 18 months
- New compliance requirements will apply to educational institutions that sponsor international students
- Universities and colleges may be subject to a levy on their income from international student fees
- Higher English language proficiency tests will apply to migrants and their dependants
- Tougher compliance and border security measures will be imposed
- Future policies informed by creation of Labour Market Evidence Group
If you’d like to know more about what the proposed new immigration rules mean for you, we will now explore them in greater detail.
Work Visa Route Reforms
The white paper contends that the visa system Labour inherited from the Conservatives has not been sufficiently joined up in the national interest. This has led to a rise in lower-skilled migration at the expense of domestic workers’ skill sets.
The new policy direction seeks to wean sectors off a perceived over-reliance on the visa system. From now, UK employers will only be able to hire workers with a degree-level education. This will permanently alter the composition of UK inward migration.
Higher qualifications for the Skilled Worker visa
The white paper proposes major changes to the flagship Skilled Worker route, the most used of the UK’s various immigration pathways. These changes represent one of the most substantial overhauls to economic migration in years:
- Qualification Threshold Increase: The skill level requirement for Skilled Worker visas will be raised from RQF Level 3 (A-level equivalent) to RQF Level 6 (bachelor’s degree level). This removes eligibility from approximately 180 different occupations
- Higher Salary Thresholds: Salary minimums will be increased to reflect the higher qualification requirements
- Abolition of Immigration Salary List: The list that previously offered discounts from salary thresholds will be eliminated
These changes aim to ensure that “skilled must mean skilled”, reorienting the key mechanisms of economic migration towards roles with a higher bar to entry.
In our April 2025 report on the failures of the Skilled Worker visa, Centuro Global had called for the qualification threshold for the Skilled Worker visa to be raised to RQF Level 6. We welcome this move to rebalance the immigration system to welcome the world’s most highly-qualified people.
A new Temporary Shortage List
To compensate for the qualification threshold rising for the Skilled Worker visa, the white paper specifies the creation of a Temporary Shortage List. This will allow employers time-limited access to hire for certain roles below RQF 6.
This menu of occupations will be based on evidence from the Migration Advisory Committee about which lower-qualified roles are in particular current scarcity.
In order to be able to hire from this route, employers will have to submit evidence of a workforce strategy to increase recruitment and training from the domestic talent pool.
Care visas scrapped
The white paper also announced the Government’s intention to close access to visas for overseas care workers. This is in response to widespread abuse of the system, to the point that over 470 care providers had their licences suspended.
A transition period will last until 2028, during which care homes can hire from the existing pool of over 100,000 foreign care workers resident in the UK. These workers will be permitted to extend their visas and make in-country arrangements.
Expanded visa routes for high-skill talent
The white paper creates special provisions for high-skilled individuals from overseas.
- Revising, expanding, and improving the High Potential Individual and Global Talent visa routes, which allow the brightest foreign workers to move to the UK without the need for sponsorship.
- Doubling the number of qualifying institutions for the High Potential Individual visa.
- Enhancing schemes for research internships, particularly in AI.
- Reviewing the Innovator Founder visa to help entrepreneurial students transition into the UK business ecosystem
Increased Costs
Over the last year, many organisations, Centuro Global included, have called for the UK’s exceptionally high visa costs to be reduced.
These calls have been ignored. The white paper outlines a new raft of costs that businesses and universities will have to shoulder.
Higher salary thresholds
After the previous Conservative government’s increases to the minimum salary thresholds for the Skilled Worker visa, the Labour administration is coming back for more. The white paper claims that salary thresholds will rise again to match the higher skill levels specified in the white paper’s new immigration rules.
The white paper does not specify how much these thresholds will rise by. We will update you when we know more.
Immigration Skills Charge raised by 32%
The Immigration Skills Charge (ISC) is the levy paid by employers who sponsor foreign workers, with funds earmarked for schemes to train and upskill the domestic population.
After zero increases since its introduction in 2017, the white paper outlines a rise of 32% to bring it in line with inflation.
Potential international student fee levy
The white paper proposes exploring “a levy on higher education provider income from international students, to be reinvested into the skills system”. While details remain limited, this could represent a major demand on universities’ finances.
Integration and English language proficiency
In a particularly controversial moment in his press conference, the Prime Minister warned of the risk of Britain becoming a “nation of strangers”, with communities divided by language barriers and cultural gaps.
This is the Government’s justification for introducing new tests to ensure that migrants arrive proficient in English and develop their skills over their time in the UK.
Elevated English language proficiency standards
The white paper introduces higher English language requirements across all visa categories:
- For many work routes, including Skilled Worker, the required proficiency level will increase from CEFR Level B1 (intermediate user) to Level B2 (independent user)
- The proficiency level for settlement will also increase from B1 to B2
- These changes aim to promote integration and improve employment prospects.
Progressive system for dependants
Adult dependants of workers and students will face a tiered English language requirement:
- CEFR Level A1 (basic user) at first application
- CEFR Level A2 at extension stage
- CEFR Level B2 for settlement
This is a new and significant obligation, as many adult dependants currently have no English language requirements.
Settlement and Citizenship Reforms
The white paper proposes to link citizenship more closely to contribution, rather than simply time spent in the country.
Extended ILR qualifying period
The white paper significantly extends migrants’ path to permanent residency.
The standard qualifying period for settlement, Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR), will double in most immigration routes from five years to ten years.
This has a knock-on effect on citizenship, which migrants can only apply for after obtaining ILR.
Earned settlement model
Alongside the extended qualifying period, the white paper introduces an “earned settlement” system:
Some migrants may qualify for ILR sooner based on contribution-focused criteria, such as tax receipts, the nature of their work and their volunteering.
These criteria are as yet unspecified, but will likely assess contributions to the UK economy and society through a points-based system.
The Government plans to consult on these reforms later in 2025.
Exemptions for family members
The white paper also spells out exemptions to the extended settlement period. These include:
- Family members of British citizens, who will continue to qualify for settlement after five years
- Special provisions will support children in care and care leavers.
- Children who have been in the UK for some time and turn 18 without status will have pathways to regularise their status.
Citizenship pathway changes
The white paper also seeks to ensure that those who receive citizenship have made tangible contributions to the UK. This means:
- Aligning citizenship eligibility with the earned settlement proposals
- Refreshing the Life in the UK Test
- Considering measures to reduce financial barriers to citizenship for young adults who have lived in the UK throughout childhood
Student and Graduate Route Reforms
Large increases of international students have driven much of the net migration figures in recent years, as well as swelling the coffers of many UK universities. It is probable that some institutions, struggling with tight funding as a result of tuition fee freezes, would not survive without the lifeline of an increasing stream of high-paying overseas students.
However, the white paper notes a 49% increase in visas going to lower-ranked universities, while numbers actually declined by 7% for those classed in the world’s Top 100.
Ministers are also concerned by increasing numbers of international students proceeding to claim asylum, or simply entering non-graduate level employment after their courses have finished.
The white paper issues some correctives to these trends.
Graduate visa duration reduction
One of the most significant changes for international students is the cut to the duration of the Graduate visa.
Currently, students are allowed to stay in the UK for two years after graduating in order to find work. But under the white paper’s proposals, this will be shortened to 18 months.
This move aims to reduce the perceived attractiveness of the UK as a study destination purely for post-study work opportunities.
Enhanced sponsorship requirements
Educational institutions also face stricter regulatory requirements:
- The minimum pass requirement for each Basic Compliance Assessment metric will increase by five percentage points (e.g., course enrollment rate must be at least 95% and course completion rate 90%)
- A new Red-Amber-Green banding system will rate the compliance performance of each sponsor
- New interventions will be introduced for sponsors close to failing their metrics, including bespoke action plans and limits on recruitment
Agent Quality Framework and local impact assessments
Some other additional measures will also raise the bar for recruiting international students.
- All sponsors using recruitment agents for overseas students must sign up to the Agent Quality Framework
- Institutions will need to demonstrate consideration of local impacts when making decisions on international recruitment
- A review of Short-Term Study accreditation bodies will be conducted to ensure robust processes
Family Migration and Dependants
The previous iteration of the post-Brexit immigration system made fairly generous provisions for visa holders to bring dependant family members. This has been one of the key drivers of the boom in net migration. At 2023’s peak, 44.45% of the over 900,000 visas issued were granted to work and study visa dependants.
In 2024, the Conservatives removed this right from overseas students and care workers. Now, Labour are tightening the rules for families further as part of their emphasis on facilitating migrant integration, though some key details are as yet undisclosed.
New family policy framework
The white paper announces plans to set out a new family policy by the end of the year, which will:
- Ensure clear relationship requirements
- Require appropriate English language skills for family members
- Confirm families have sufficient financial resources without relying on taxpayer support
- Clarify how Article 8 (right to family life) rules should be interpreted and applied
Adult dependant requirements
As previously described, requirements will apply to adult dependants of workers and students:
- They must demonstrate CEFR Level A1 (basic user) English proficiency at their first immigration application
- This increases to CEFR Level A2 at extension stage and CEFR Level B2 for settlement
These measures aim to ensure integration into UK society and improve dependants’ employment prospects.
New bereaved parent route
The white paper introduces compassionate provisions for bereaved parents.
A new route will allow those in the UK on the route of a parent of a British or settled child, who have lost their child, to settle immediately.
This acknowledges exceptional circumstances that require humanitarian consideration.
Illegal Immigration and Compliance
The spectre of irregular migration is never far from the core of British politics. The number of refugees reaching Britain’s shores in small boats has soared since 2020, with 108,100 people applying for asylum in 2024 alone.
The Prime Minister and Home Secretary have set out some measures in the white paper designed to bolster the UK’s border security, stem the flow of refugees and crack down on abuse of the visa system.
It remains to be seen if Starmer and Cooper’s latest proposals will be enough to finally close down an issue that has undone so many of their predecessors. But in the meantime, these measures will add some new compliance obligations for UK employers.
Digital systems and monitoring
The white paper outlines plans to enhance border security through the UK’s border digitalisation initiatives:
- E-visas and digital ID systems will be rolled out to monitor migrants’ legal status
- Improved technology will track visa overstays
These measures aim to enhance the Home Office’s surveillance and enforcement capabilities.
New legal guidance and legislation
The document sets out the Government’s intention to issue new guidance on Article 8 of the Human Rights Act, which expresses the right to ‘a respect for family and private life’. Judicial interpretations of this Article have been blamed for derailing plans to deport foreign criminals.
The Government maintains that its advice will provide a legal groundwork that will limit the rate of successful appeals, along with the imposition of a stronger public interest test for whether individuals accused or convicted of crimes should be allowed to stay in the UK.
Enhanced enforcement powers
The Home Office is also affording itself new powers to enforce existing immigration rules. These measures include:
- Increased illegal working raids
- A Fair Work Agency to clamp down on exploitative employers
- More stringent penalties for non-compliant employers
- Extension of compliance rules to non-bank financial institutions
- Procedures to revoke visas for foreign nationals convicted of offences, not limited to those receiving prison sentences.
Implementation Timeline and Future Legislation
It is important to clarify here that the white paper does not constitute settled policy. This document is a (very detailed) statement of intent from the Government, and none of its contents will apply until made law.
Accordingly, while it does not contain comprehensive implementation dates for all reforms, it indicates the following timelines:
- The first changes are due to be introduced “in the coming weeks”
- Many reforms require consultation and/or input from the planned Labour Market Evidence Group.
- A consultation on settlement reforms is planned for later in 2025.
- Additional legislation addressing asylum and border security will be introduced later in Summer 2025
Our Analysis: A New Direction for UK Immigration – But at Whose Cost?
The white paper marks a decisive end to an era in which employers could hire from overseas largely at their own discretion.
The Government’s chief political objective is to reduce net migration, and it’s likely they will succeed to some extent. But there’s an auxiliary aim at play here too. This white paper is really a piece of industrial strategy, reprogramming the operating logic of the immigration system to reward skills over the simple availability of labour.
Strategic functions over day-to-day operations
The higher qualification thresholds for the Skilled Worker visa are the clearest signal of intent. We had called for this change to be made in our recent report into the Skilled Worker visa, and we welcome the Government’s acceptance of our proposal.
The current RQF Level 3 baseline always made the Skilled Worker visa something of a misnomer. As our report discovered, the eligibility list made it possible for takeaway food restaurants, betting shops and call centres to bring in overseas workers to plug shortages, with relatively low expectations for their language skills. This will now no longer be possible. As a result, employers must shift from treating the visa system as an operational aide and start using it as a conduit for the higher-level roles that build your company’s value-add.
We also applaud the expansion of visa routes like the Global Talent, High Potential Individual, Innovator Founder and Expansion Worker. These pathways have been sorely underutilised by the high-growth companies they were designed to cater for, despite their significantly lower cost. We hope that this will now change, giving the UK’s best companies preferential access to the world’s brightest workers.
The trade-off – and where it lands
The Government hopes that these changes will focus executives’ minds on sourcing elite talent to fill strategically important roles. But the trade-off is that such experienced workers are more expensive to employ.
Currently, the minimum salary threshold for the Skilled Worker visa is set at £38,700, a smidgen above the UK median annual salary. This was hiked in 2024 from its previous level of £26,200, dealing a sudden blow to companies’ financial forecasts. Despite calls from industry, the new white paper signals that thresholds will rise once again to match the elevated skill requirements.
This comes at a time when employing staff at any level has become more expensive for employers, thanks to the Autumn Budget’s increase to employers’ National Insurance Contributions.
The sudden 32% hike to the Immigration Skills Charge (ISC), payable by visa sponsors, is yet another volley in this onslaught of costs.
While the expansion of sponsorship-free routes like the Global Talent visa may help firms circumvent some of these new costs, these pathways will likely remain limited to candidates who have won the approval of endorsing bodies.
If you wish to hire a typical graduate from overseas, you should assume a significantly greater cost.
To protect your cost-competitiveness, we would advise two things.
- Make as much use as possible of the expanded routes to benefit from their lack of sponsorship and minimum salary obligations
- Be as selective and judicious as possible with your hiring strategy. Focus your use of the Skilled Worker visa route on overseas candidates with outstanding qualities that you cannot find among the domestic talent pool. It will be more cost-effective to hire British nationals.
Employers as Government’s strategic partner
There is a reason for this flurry of cost increases for employers. The Government want to use the proceeds to fund up-skilling and training initiatives for British nationals. The rationale seems to be that if a firm wishes to hire a foreign worker, they should contribute to building up the future skill base in this country.
This treats employers as partners in a national process of industrial capacity-building. Employers have the continued right to employ foreign staff with useful capabilities. But this entitlement comes with responsibilities.
This may turn out to be a counter-productive approach that deters companies from seeking out foreign talent. Indeed, the risk is that longer wait times for settlement and swelling administrative costs push globally mobile talent towards neighbours with more permissive systems, like Ireland or the Netherlands.
But as the white paper starts its journey towards formal legislation, we would advise companies committed to their UK investments to undergo this mindset shift. The Government wants users of the visa system to view themselves as collaborators in a national story of renewed growth, partially powered by knowledge transfers from overseas.
Given the incentives in the ‘earned settlement’ scheme for migrants to reduce their ILR eligibility period through their contributions, this will mean cultivating your overseas hires’ careers and skillsets as best you can throughout their employment. This will help them put their legal status on a more stable footing, with administrative benefits for you too.
Centuro Global is Ready to Advise You on the White Paper
We hope this breakdown and analysis of the white paper’s proposed rules for UK immigration has answered your questions on the changes – and what they mean for you.
If you need any assistance in navigating the new regulatory framework, our experienced immigration consultants are here to advise you further. With decades of combined experience in solving complicated immigration cases for global corporate clients, both within and outside the UK, they are on hand to help you bring the best talent into your company, cost-effectively.
Get in touch for more advice.
