Implications of revised UK Worker visa regulations for businesses and international workers

On 22 July 2025, changes to the UK’s immigration system came into effect, reshaping access to the Skilled Worker route and tightening employer sponsorship rules. These changes were announced earlier this year in the Government’s Immigration White Paper. They mark a shift in access to work and sponsorship in the UK. This new immigration policy direction prioritises headline figures on net migration over economic reality or social cohesion, significantly impacting UK immigration processes.

The reforms significantly raise the bar for migrant workers wishing to access the UK’s primary employment-based route. The skill level required has increased from RQF Level 3 (roughly equivalent to A-Levels) to RQF Level 6 (Bachelor’s degree level), cutting off access for many medium-skilled roles that previously qualified.

Alongside this, the minimum salary threshold has risen steeply to £41,700 per year, or the going rate for the occupation, whichever is higher. Even where the “new entrant” discount applies, it only brings the threshold down to £30,960 and is available to far fewer roles than before. This new general salary threshold is likely to impact visa applications across various sectors.

One of the most impactful and contentious changes is the removal of care workers and senior care workers from the Health and Care Visa. 

A limited transition period lasts until July 2028. This allows current visa holders to switch and extend their visas. However, overseas recruitment in this sector has effectively stopped. The care worker visa, once a crucial pathway for international recruitment in the healthcare sector, is no longer available for new applicants.

This decision, while framed as a move to prevent exploitation, risks worsening an already precarious workforce crisis in the care sector. These roles were never “low-skilled” in practice, just underpaid and undervalued. The sector depends a lot on migrant workers. A worry is that this will cause staff shortages that could lead to less care being provided.

In parallel, the Government is committing to attracting so-called “top global talent.” Special routes are still available for researchers, scientists, and people in high-paying jobs. There are also promises of quicker paths to settlement. But these opportunities are highly selective and often inaccessible to those without significant institutional support or financial means. The focus on high potential individuals aligns with the UK’s industrial strategy but may not address all sectors or workers’ needs.

Employers across the UK, particularly in care, food processing, construction, and hospitality, now face severe constraints in hiring the staff they need. These sectors were already struggling to recruit domestically and now face the added pressure of being effectively shut out of the sponsorship system. The changes to the immigration system means sponsor licence holder need to pay extra attention to their sponsor duties and right to work checks.

The Government insists this will drive investment in the domestic workforce. However, it is not clear how they plan to address chronic domestic labour shortages, underfunded training pipelines, or geographic disparities in workforce availability. 

Meanwhile, businesses in high-growth sectors such as tech, finance, and life sciences may welcome the focus on global talent, but even here, the rising cost of sponsorship and skills charges will pose challenges. In addition, the already significant visa fees and immigration health surcharge may impact the attractiveness of the UK for international talent.

This two-tiered approach to immigration favours wealth and prestige over fairness or social contribution. It risks reinforcing global inequality, while offering little to the many who want to build a life and contribute meaningfully to less celebrated sectors. 

The new changes to the immigration rules reshape who can come to work in the UK, and who cannot. They are framed as necessary reforms to restore control, but they simply raise barriers. For many people who could offer a variety of valuable skills, the door to the UK just got much harder to unlock with requirements for various work visas, becoming harder to meet under these new rules.