The British government is gearing up to tighten visa rules in a bid to bring down legal immigration numbers. This comes as Prime Minister Keir Starmer faces growing political pressure, with rising support for the populist Reform UK party stirring up the immigration debate.
According to plans set out in the Immigration White Paper, due to be released on May 13, the government wants to raise the bar for skilled workers and restrict lower-skilled visas. The move signals a broader push to rework how Britain manages its immigration system—and links it more closely to domestic workforce training.
One of the key proposals is to require higher qualifications—likely graduate-level—for skilled worker visas. At the same time, access to lower-skilled, short-term visas will be tightened. The idea is that these types of visas should only be offered when there’s strong proof of labour shortages, and only if employers commit to training local workers.
This marks a change from recent years, where the number of skilled worker visas has surged. Since the system was revamped under Boris Johnson’s government in 2020, the number of such visas has reportedly tripled.
A new team is expected to be tasked with identifying sectors that depend too much on foreign labour. The aim is to reduce that reliance and push businesses to invest in domestic recruitment and skills development.
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said in a BBC interview on May 12 that this represents a "fundamental shift" in the government’s approach—linking immigration more directly to the UK’s skills agenda.
Alongside changes to worker visa rules, the government is also expected to announce steps to simplify the removal of foreign nationals who commit crimes in the UK. New rules on deportation and removals are also part of Monday’s package.
Despite various attempts to curb numbers, Britain’s net migration figures remain stubbornly high. In the year leading up to June 2023, net migration hit a record 906,000. And it’s not just short stays—figures show that the number of migrants settling in the UK permanently rose by 80% between 2021 and 2024.