The UK government has announced a comprehensive set of measures aimed at significantly reducing “unprecedented” and “unsustainable” levels of legal migration to the country. The plan, unveiled by the Home Office, includes the prohibition of healthcare workers from sponsoring visas for their families and dependants.
According to a statement released on Monday, the objective of the new plan is to achieve the largest-ever reduction in the UK’s net migration, encouraging businesses to prioritize British talent and invest in the domestic workforce. The measures are designed to discourage employers from excessively relying on migration while aligning salaries with the average full-time salary for relevant job positions.
Interior Secretary James Cleverly stated that the plan would lead to 300,000 fewer people coming to the UK in the coming years. Key elements of the plan include raising the minimum salary requirement for obtaining a visa from £26,200 to £38,700. Care workers will be prohibited from bringing dependants from April next year.
Cleverly outlined the key points of the plan, stating, “First, we will end the abuse of the care visa, stopping overseas care workers from bringing family dependants. We will require firms in England to be regulated by the Health Care Quality Commission to sponsor visas.”
He continued, “Second, we will stop immigration undercutting the salary of British workers by increasing the skilled workers’ earning threshold by a third to £38,000 from next spring. Finally, we will revise the graduates’ route to prevent abuse and protect the integrity of the UK’s higher education sector.”
The plan also includes an increase in the immigration healthcare charge by 66%, from £624 to £1,035, to contribute approximately £1.3 billion annually to the country’s health services. The Immigration Advisory Committee will review the graduates’ route to ensure it aligns with the UK’s best interests and supports pathways to high-quality jobs while reducing opportunities for abuse.
