UK immigration is changing again with new measures coming into effect as soon as 22 July 2025. After the White Paper was published on 12 May 2025, today 1st July 2025 the Home Office published a new press release announcing the first changes that will be introduced.
New rules to be laid in Parliament will see skills and salary thresholds rise, overseas recruitment for care workers end, and 111 occupations that are currently on the Appendix Skilled Occupations will no longer granted access to the immigration system. The upcoming immigration changes will have huge impact on the skilled worker visa.
Subject to parliamentary approval, the first changes will come into effect from 22 July 2025, and transitional arrangements have also today 1 July 2025 been set out for overseas care workers already in the UK. According to White Paper for a transition period until 2028, Home Office will permit visa extensions and in-country switching for those care workers who are already in the country with working rights, but this will be kept under review.
Purpose of the White Paper – limiting net migration and focus on local recruitment
The Home Office White Paper has been released 12th May 2025. According to the Home Office its purpose is to 'ensure that migration continues to fall from the unsustainably high levels of the last few years, to reduce overseas recruitment in favour of training UK workers, and also to change the pattern and skill mix of the migration we do allow, to ensure a better contribution to the UK. Subsequent chapters set out a series of measures to achieve those goals, and restore order, control and fairness to the immigration system.'
The White Paper started by stating that '(...) immigration system will be radically reformed so the system is controlled, managed and fair under a landmark White Paper to be published tomorrow (Monday 12 May).' We did write an earlier update on the upcoming changes in UK immigration laws.
First immigration reforms following June 2025 White Paper
New rules to be laid in Parliament see skills and salary thresholds rise, overseas recruitment for care workers end, and more than 100 occupations that are currently on the Appendix Skilled Occupations will no longer granted access to the immigration system. These changes, are the first to be rolled out from the Immigration White Paper,
According to the Home Office, the introduction of an interim, time-limited and conditional temporary shortage list will make sure the immigration system works better for the UK, with international recruitment only providing support where occupations are key to the industrial strategy or building crucial infrastructure. Each sector must have a workforce strategy in place to train UK workers, or it will lose access to the immigration system.
Workers in occupations on the temporary shortage list will no longer be able to bring dependants and will not be permitted salary and visa fee discounts. The occupations included on the List are time-limited until the end of 2026 and will only remain beyond that date if the independent Migration Advisory Committee recommend it.
Home Office also announced that in the interim, the government will not hesitate to restrict immigration access further, should there be clear signs of abuse and exploitation in sectors. Home Office also stated that in time they will also abolish the immigration salary list.
Subject to parliamentary approval, the changes will come into effect from 22 July 2025, and transitional arrangements have also today been set out for overseas care workers already in the UK.
Summary of the first changes to UK immigration system
To summarise, the first package of immigration changes includes:
- raising the skills threshold for Skilled Worker visas, removing 111 eligible occupations
- closing the social care worker visa route to overseas recruitment in response to widespread abuse and exploitation
- only allowing time-limited access below degree level through a targeted immigration salary list and temporary shortage list, for critical roles only, with strict requirements for sectors to grow domestic skills
- commissioning the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) to conduct a review of the temporary shortage list including occupations, salaries and benefits
Further changes to be implemented in the immigration rules
Further changes to be implemented by the end of this year also include:
- raising the immigration skills charge
- uplifting language requirements across the immigration system
- unveiling a new family policy framework to Parliament
The Immigration White Paper forms part of a broader programme of immigration and border security reforms, with further measures on asylum and border security to be announced later this year 2025.
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