The United Kingdom introduced stricter immigration policies during the first five months of 2024, mainly to reduce net migration figures and prioritize British workers.
New measures include, among others, tightening student visa rules, an increase in the salary threshold for Skilled Worker Visas, and other policies concerning foreign healthcare workers, VisaGuide.World reports.
Moreover, UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak promised to decrease the annual number of family and work visas if elected on July 4, as reported recently in local media.
Even though migration figures have decreased following the above-mentioned measures, authorities warned of further measures if needed.
The plan is working but migration levels are still too high, so we are going further.
Stricter Rules to Tackle UK Student Visa Abuse
In a recent statement, the Home Office announced its plans to further tighten student visa requirements to ensure that this path is used for education.
Some of the proposed measures include increasing financial maintenance requirements for international students and introducing stricter submission criteria for institutions recruiting overseas students.
Authorities further underscored that they are reviewing English language assessments to ensure that all foreign students understand their course materials properly.
Salary Requirement for UK Skilled Worker Visa Increased by 48%
In April 2024, the UK government introduced several rules in an effort to reduce migration and prioritize British workers.
Among other things, the minimum salary requirement for foreign workers coming to the UK with a Skilled Labor visa has risen by 48 per cent, from £26,200 ($33,340) to £38,700 ($49,240).
This implies that under such circumstances, British employers cannot pay foreign workers less than British workers. Henceforth, the government aims to prompt employers to put British workers first.
Furthermore, the UK government eliminated the list of shortage occupations, as it considers no industry should constantly rely on foreign workers.
The UK has also created a new immigration salary list, which will contain only skilled occupations experiencing a shortage. Moreover, it will consider if it makes sense to include them, taking into account efforts made by industries to train local workers.
Foreign Care Workers Banned from Bringing Their Dependents to the UK
In March 2024, the UK implemented new regulations preventing foreign care workers from bringing their dependent family members to the UK.
Such a measure was taken after authorities noted a large number of dependents in 2023, 120,000, accompanied 100,000 workers.
UK Saw a 25% Decline in Visa Applications Amid Stricter Measures
The above-mentioned and some other measures resulted in fewer visa applications in the UK. The recent statistics from the Home Office indicated that the UK saw a 25 percent decrease in visa applications during the first quarter of 2024.
During this period, the UK received 30,000 fewer student visa applications compared to the same months in 2023. In addition, the country saw a 79 percent decrease in student-dependent applications.
A notable decrease was recorded in Health and Care dependent applications as well. In April 2024, authorities received 6,400 such applications, which is 58 percent less compared to April 2023.
It was earlier noted that such policies are part of the Home Secretary’s strategy to reduce legal migration. This means that nearly 300,000 individuals who came to the UK in 2023 would no longer be able to.