UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Monday made a drastic reform of immigration policy, rolling out a new Immigration White Paper that will drastically cut migrant numbers—a development bound to hit Indians, one of the biggest communities of student and skilled worker visa applicants to UK, hard.
Under the new UK immigration rules, the minimum qualifying period for permanent settlement in the UK has been doubled from five to ten years. More stringent English language requirements have been made for all visa applicants and their dependents. Language proficiency will now be integrated into visa conditions, with regular checks to monitor compliance.
In a development that’s directly affecting Indian students who make up the largest group of the Graduate Route visa users, the post-study work window has been cut from two years to 18 months. While the route has not been eliminated, the cut has concerned education interests.
We are glad the Graduate Route has been retained, though with shorter duration,” commented Sanam Arora, Chair of the National Indian Students and Alumni Union (NISAU) UK. “But we hope that its implementation, and indeed of the overall reforms, be done with caution, clarity, and cooperation.
UK visa reforms also involve raised minimum salary requirements for skilled worker visas—another area where Indian applicants are predominant. The reorganized salary threshold may exclude numerous existing and future applicants from being able to continue or start working in the UK.
UK visa regulations: Will the changes deter Indian students and professionals from making the UK their destination?
The question now hangs in the balance as the policy change piles on the uncertainty for thousands of Indians seeking education and jobs in the UK.
NISAU has called on the government to offer immediate clarification regarding who the new rules will target and how the changes will impact current and future visa applications. “Panic must not be allowed to set in among current and prospective students,” the organisation stated.
Arora also appreciated the government’s approval of aligning education and immigration systems but emphasized the importance of transparency in the practices of education agents who arrange student visas. “We are glad to see acknowledgment of our longstanding calls for improved alignment between immigration and skills,” she said. “We wholeheartedly welcome the call for increased transparency and accountability in education agent practices, for which we have set out very clear requests.”
Almost all UK visa streams are affected by the White Paper. Most disturbing for Indian and other South Asian employees is the statement that the Health and Care Worker visa, a route widely used by Indian workers, will be closed to fresh applications. The closure is said to be to stem exploitation within the system by the UK government.
But Dr Dora-Olivia Vicol, chief executive of the Work Rights Centre in the UK, attacked the decision, saying it was a diversion from the root causes of problems in the visa system. “Thanks to this failed visa scheme, thousands of migrant care workers who are already here in the UK are becoming destitute. The government is still to provide them with any viable support,” she added. What they require is not additional hostility and victim-blaming, but the adaptability to bring their skills to the businesses that value and need them.
Vicol also criticized the expansion of the settlement eligibility period to 10 years as “arbitrary” and stated it may result in more cases of insecure immigration status. “More individuals will be placed at risk of falling into insecure immigration status, placing them at increased risk of exploitation, and even increasing the number of individuals with unauthorized status,” she stated.
The UK government’s White Paper also seeks to implement tougher enforcement measures, stating that the breaches of immigration conditions will be met with quicker deportation and stricter checks.
Delivering a statement from Downing Street, Prime Minister Starmer defended the policy reform through national integration and public trust in the immigration system. “Without these tough new rules, the UK risks becoming an island of strangers,” he declared. “Skill level raised to degree level; English language requirement on all routes—including for dependents; the period of time it takes to get settled status increased from five years to 10; and enforcement stricter than ever because reasonable rules have to be enforced.”
He promised that the steps would result in a sharp decline in immigration levels, as was promised during the election campaign. Critics, however, say that such steps have the potential to alienate foreign talent and students—particularly from India—who have traditionally enriched the UK’s academic and economic spheres.
In spite of the government’s assurances, there is uncertainty among students and qualified workers, especially those already in the system or soon to enter. Immigration lawyers and education consultants anticipate a surge in inquiries and appeals over the next few weeks as individuals rush to know how the UK visa changes will impact their future prospects.
As the UK transitions to tighten its immigration controls, stakeholders remain to demand clarity, fairness, and a humane implementation approach. With India as one of the largest sources of international students and skilled workers, the long-term effect of these policies on UK-India mobility remains to be determined.
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