The UK Government has unveiled a package of measures designed to reduce the number of people coming to the UK. These rules changes will come into force in April 2024 and could make a huge change to your visa application.
Skills for English has partnered with Immigration specialists Acuity Law to run a free webinar which will explain the new rules and what they mean for Visa Applicants.
Published on 7 December 2023, the Home Office has announced various changes to a number of UK immigration routes, as well as the introduction of several new appendices to the Immigration Rules.
We explore the different rules changes below.
To qualify for a skilled worker visa in the UK, the minimum salary requirement is set for an upward shift. Currently set at the highest among £26,200 annually, £10.75 per hour, or the industry's prevailing rate, this threshold will rise to £38,700 per year starting next spring. Notably, exemptions are in place for health and care workers, who make up nearly half of work visa holders, and those on national pay scales like teachers. The Migration Observatory predicts a notable impact on middle-skilled professions such as butchers or chefs, where salaries commonly fall below £30,000.
British citizens seeking to sponsor a family member or partner to reside in the UK will face a substantial increase in the minimum income requirement, leaping from £18,600 to £29,000 in “spring 2024”; to around £34,500 at an unspecified time (likely later in 2024); and finally, to around £38,700 “in early 2025”. An estimated 70,000 individuals arrived on family visas in the year ending June 2023. This alteration is poised to affect groups with lower incomes more significantly, including women, younger demographics, and individuals residing outside London and the south-east of England.
Care workers from overseas will no longer have the option to relocate to the UK with their partners or children. Home Office data shows a higher tendency among health and care workers to have family members joining them compared to other work visa holders. While care companies express concerns that this ban might dissuade potential recruits, causing further staff shortages, the government remains optimistic about sustained overseas worker demand in UK care roles, even without the provision for family members to accompany them.
The current 80% salary discount for shortage occupations allowing skilled worker visas is set to be eliminated. This list covers various sectors facing worker shortages, including healthcare, education, care work, and construction. The government aims to halt immigration practices that undercut British workers by removing this 20% discount.
Visa holders' annual fee for NHS access, known as the immigration health surcharge, will climb from £624 to £1,035. Exemptions apply, such as health and care workers being excluded from this charge, along with reduced rates for students and those under 18.
Secure English Language Tests are required by the UK Home Office as part of the visa application process.
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