Update: Home Office Announces UK Immigration Law Change

The Home Secretary, James Cleverly, yesterday announced a raft of planned UK immigration law changes.

It is vital that employers understand the details of these changes before they come into effect.

These changes will primarily affect employers that currently hold a UKVI sponsor licence, but they will also have a wider impact on the availability of international skills and labour in the UK market.

One of the most significant of the new UK immigration law changes is to the skilled worker visa sponsorship route. Currently, the general minimum salary that employees must be paid in order to secure a visa is £26,200. That is due to rise to £38,700 in the Spring, although it is likely that the new threshold will only apply to ‘new’ sponsored employees and not existing employees.

Whilst some senior positions will already be remunerated over the new £38,700 threshold, there will be a number of sectors where that threshold will simply be too high for employers to meet. Any roles paying under the new threshold will not be eligible for visa sponsorship from an employer and this could create increased competition when it comes to filling vacancies within the already tight domestic labour market to fill vacancies.

As part of the planned UK immigration law changes, there will also be a review of the shortage occupation list. The expectation is that a number of roles currently listed are set to be removed. The 20% salary reduction permitted for shortage occupation roles is also to be removed.

These new UK immigration law changes are expected to take effect in the spring 2024 and further details should be released over the coming weeks and months. It would be reasonable to assume that transitional provisions will be put in place for those already sponsored in the UK under the skilled worker visa and we will be watching this space closely for further updates.