Navigating UK Immigration: Key Updates from the Home Office Seminar
Andrew Oyedola (National Coordinator, NSSPF-UK) The workshop, hosted by Winners Chapel International Cambridge in collaboration with the UK Home Office on July 26, 2025, provided crucial updates and clarifications on recent and upcoming changes to UK immigration laws. Mercy Osei-Poku and Carley Adele Griffiths from the National Community Engagement Team at the Home Office addressed various concerns, aiming to inform and empower attendees. New Immigration Rules and Their Implications The Home Office highlighted significant changes effective from July 22, 2025, and others still under consultation. Skilled Worker Visa Changes: Recruitment from Abroad: As of July 22, 2025, it is no longer possible to bring individuals from abroad on a Certificate of Sponsorship (COS) for most roles, especially care worker visas. This means the previous route for overseas recruitment in these areas has closed. Qualification Threshold: Most new Skilled Worker Visas will now require a degree-level qualification (RQF Level 6). This is a significant increase from the previous RQF Level 3 to 5. Interim Lists: Two interim lists, the Immigration Salary List (ISL) and a Time-Limited Temporary Shortage List, will keep a small number of sub-graduate jobs open until the end of 2026. If a job appears on these lists, it may still be eligible at RQF Level 3 to 5. Dependents for Shortage Occupations: If you obtain a visa for a job on these exemption lists (where a degree is not required), you will not be able to bring your family to the UK as dependents. Existing Skilled Workers: Workers already in the skilled workforce before July 22, 2025, may continue to be sponsored in RQF Level 3 to 5 roles, including visa extensions, employment changes, or supplementary employment, until July 22, 2028. However, applications for Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) may be subject to different assessments. Care Worker Visa Specifics: No Recruitment from Abroad: Social care employers can no longer recruit from abroad for care worker roles. Dependents: For care worker COS visas issued after March 2024, dependents are not allowed. Salary Threshold: The salary requirement for Health and Care Worker Visas (SOC codes 6135/6136) is at least £25,000 per year or £12.82 per hour, whichever is higher. This remains the applicable rate. Graduate Visa Changes (Proposed): Reduced Length: The standard length of the Graduate Visa is proposed to be reduced from 2 years to 18 months. For PhD graduates, it will be 3 years. This change is not yet in effect and consultations are ongoing. Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) Changes (Proposed): Increased Qualifying Period: A proposal in the white paper suggests increasing the standard qualifying period for ILR from 5 years to 10 years. This change has not yet started, and the Home Secretary is still determining how it will be implemented. Exemptions: Partners of British nationals and individuals with post-Brexit residence rights (e.g., EU Settlement Scheme) will likely remain eligible for ILR after 5 years. Advice for Near-Eligible Individuals: If you are nearing your 5-year ILR eligibility, it is strongly advised to apply as soon as you qualify to avoid potential impact from future changes. Student Visa Changes: Stricter University Licensing: The government is considering making it harder for universities to retain their licenses to sponsor international students, particularly from countries identified with higher rates of asylum claims by students. Increased Financial Scrutiny: Future international students may face higher financial thresholds and more rigorous proof of long-term financial stability before being granted a visa. English Language Requirements: Stricter for Partners: Partners joining individuals on RQF Level 6 jobs will need to demonstrate basic English language proficiency. The exact form of this requirement (e.g., exams abroad) is still to be determined. Good Character Requirement: Impact on British Citizenship: From February 10, 2025, individuals who have illegally entered the UK or used a dangerous route are more likely to be refused British citizenship. This assesses how you entered and your behavior while in the UK. Driving Offences: Driving without a valid UK license (e.g., using an international license beyond the permitted one year) can lead to driving without insurance, which carries severe penalties, including potential prison sentences. A prison sentence of 12 months or more can lead to automatic deportation for non-British nationals, even those with ILR. Judges can also recommend deportation for serious crimes even if the sentence is less than 12 months. Children and Criminality: Children born in the UK can be refused leave to remain and face deportation if involved in criminality, especially if their parents do not have permanent immigration status. Children Born in the UK: No Automatic British Citizenship: Children born in the UK do not automatically become British citizens unless one parent has permanent leave to remain or British nationality at the time of birth. 7-Year Rule: If a child is born in the UK and has lived here continuously for 7 years since birth, parents can apply for ILR based on the private life built with that child. This also applies if the child arrived in the UK as a child and has lived continuously for 7 years. The child’s “good character” (clean record) will also be assessed. Responses to Common Questions Here’s a summary of frequently asked questions and the Home Office’s responses: Salary Thresholds: * Question: What is the salary threshold for Health and Care Worker Visa sponsorship under the new July 2025 immigration rules? Do old salary thresholds still apply for existing care workers? * Response: For Health and Care Worker Visas (SOC codes 6135/6136), the requirement is at least £25,000 per year or £12.82 per hour, whichever is higher. For care workers already employed before the new policy, the old salary thresholds still apply. * Source: Skilled Worker visa: A guide for employers – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) Switching Visas (In-country): * Question: Can I switch from a Graduate Visa to a Skilled Worker or Health and Care Worker Visa? Can a dependent spouse of a skilled worker, whose sponsor lost their license, still switch to a new sponsor after the July 2025 rules? Can a student in