Overview

• Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced reforms extending the residency requirement for settlement from five to ten years, with fast-track options for highly skilled workers.
• English language proficiency requirements will now apply to all adult dependents to support integration and reduce exploitation risks.
• The government will restrict skilled worker visas to graduate-level applicants and prohibit care sector firms from recruiting workers from abroad.
• Employers will be required to invest in training UK workers as part of broader efforts to reduce reliance on overseas labor.
• The reforms, responding to record migration figures and political pressure from Reform UK, aim to tighten enforcement across work, family, and study visa routes.