‘Taking radical action’: Rishi Sunak toughens UK visa rules to slash migration
The UK government on Monday tabled stricter visa rules for foreign workers to lower the nation’s immigration numbers.
The new rules include a much higher salary threshold for foreign workers to access skilled visas and a clampdown on bringing family members as their dependants. Citing high immigration, UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said the radical rules will help bring down migration and make sure it only benefits the country.
Taking to microblogging site X, he wrote, “Immigration is too high. Today we’re taking radical action to bring it down. These steps will make sure that immigration always benefits the UK.”
In another post, he stated, “We’ve just announced the biggest ever cut in net migration. No Prime Minister has done this before in history. But the level of net migration is too high and it has to change. I am determined to do it.”
UK Home Secretary James Cleverly announced in the House of Commons that, as part of a stringent immigration crackdown affecting Indians as well, medics on Health and Care visas will no longer be allowed to bring family members.
For other skilled worker visa routes, the salary threshold will increase from GBP 26,200 to GBP 38,700. This threshold will also apply to the family visa category, currently set at GBP 18,600. Cleverly emphasised the need for a fair, consistent, legal, and sustainable immigration policy.
He stated that the combined impact of this package and a reduction in student dependents would result in approximately 300,000 fewer people coming to the UK in the future compared to the previous year. The five-point plan, presented by Cleverly, will be effective from the first half of 2024, following his recent appointment to the Home Office.
Cleverly outlined plans to review the Graduate Route visa to safeguard the integrity of UK higher education, signaling a potential crackdown on dependents in that post-study route. Additionally, the government aims to reform the entry process for people in short-staffed sectors, eliminating the 20% discount on the minimum salary for shortage occupation visas and reviewing the types of jobs on the Shortage Occupation List.
This visa crackdown follows record-high immigration figures released by the Office for National Statistics, indicating a net migration of 672,000 to the UK. India dominates the skilled worker, medical professional, and student categories, with notable increases in Health and Care visa applications and sponsored study visa grants. Cleverly’s measures aim to address these trends and ensure a more controlled immigration system.