The UK government cracks down on migration – work visas now require a degree, with low-skilled roles blocked and employers pushed to hire and train British workers.
The Home Office has confirmed new reforms that will significantly reduce the number of overseas workers allowed to come to the UK for jobs deemed “low-skilled.” These changes are part of a wider strategy to bring down net migration, which nearly quadrupled between 2019 and 2023, reaching around one million.
The announcement comes ahead of the government’s Immigration White Paper, set to be published 12 May, which will outline detailed plans to “restore order” and reframe the system around three principles:
According to the government, the new plan is aimed at:
Here’s a simple breakdown of what the changes mean:
The minimum skill level for a work visa will now be set at RQF6, which means degree-level jobs only. This reverses previous policy where more lower-skilled roles were allowed to recruit internationally.
“Raising the skilled visa threshold to RQF6 (graduate level) to reduce increasing numbers of lower-skilled workers coming to the UK,” the statement reads.
Industries like social care, construction, and hospitality, which depend on overseas workers, will still be able to recruit from abroad – but only temporarily. These roles will be reviewed under a shortage occupation list, and employers will need to:
“Access to the immigration system will be strictly time-limited, granted only on the basis of strong evidence of shortages… and where employers also commit to increasing domestic skills and recruitment.”
To reduce dependency on foreign labour, businesses will now be required to create domestic training plans. These must show how they intend to develop the UK workforce, and will be a condition for visa access.
“Employers will first need to develop domestic training plans to boost British skills and recruitment levels – increasing productivity and living standards for working people in the UK.”
To monitor these changes, the government is forming a new advisory group – the Labour Market Evidence Group – made up of:
Their role is to assess where the UK is too reliant on overseas labour and advise on how to reverse that trend.
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper spoke candidly about the state of the system, stating the new policies are designed to reverse years of mismanagement and underinvestment:
“We inherited a failed immigration system where the previous government replaced free movement with a free market experiment. Employers were given much greater freedom to recruit from abroad while action on training fell.”
“This has undermined public confidence, distorted our labour market, and been really damaging for both our immigration system and our economy.”
These reforms could bring significant change to sectors that rely heavily on migrant labour – especially care homes, NHS support services, cleaning, construction, and hospitality. The government says these industries will need to take “long-overdue action” to build up a domestic workforce.
At the same time, the UK will remain open to high-skilled international talent, especially in areas that drive economic growth.
“So migration works for the whole UK, the country will remain open to the best of international talent – enhancing economic growth – while ensuring skilled work for migration purposes must truly mean skilled work.”
✔️ Work visas will now require degree-level jobs
✔️ Shortage occupation access will be temporary and tightly controlled
✔️ Employers must invest in UK-based training
✔️ A new Labour Market Evidence Group will guide future changes
✔️ Full policy details will be released in the Immigration White Paper on 12 May
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