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On 14 October 2025, the Home Office released its latest set of changes originally set out in the White Paper earlier this year. These include an increase to the skills threshold, the reduction of the duration of a graduate visa and a 32% increase of the Immigration Skills Charge.
On 14 October 2025, the Home Office issued a Statement of Changes along with a press release setting out new immigration reforms that will be coming into effect over the next 18 months. The changes were originally announced in the Immigration White Paper (Restoring Control over the Immigration System), which set out a number of large-scale Skilled Worker reforms, some of which came into force in July 2025.
A summary of the new changes announced yesterday is as follows:
Increase to the English Language threshold
Currently, migrants in the Skilled Worker route are required to meet an English Language threshold equivalent to at least Level B1 on the CEFR scale. This is being increased to level B2, which is a higher standard of conversational English.
This change is set to come in on 8 January 2026. This means that for anyone applying for a Skilled Worker visa from 8 January 2026, they will need to have an English Language Test passed at Level B2, or have a degree taught in English if they are not from an English language majority speaking country.
We expect that the list of eligible tests and centres will be updated in due course. Transitional arrangements will be in place for those already in the route (i.e. they will not need to sit a new English Language Test for an extension application).
Reduction of the Graduate route visa
The White Paper indicated that the duration of the Graduate visa route, currently issued for 2 years, would be reduced to 18 months. The Graduate visa, introduced in 2021, is a route for Student visa holders who have completed an eligible course of study in the UK. The route allows students to find a job in the UK without the limitations of sponsorship, with a view to securing an eligible sponsorship role at the end of their leave.
From 1 January 2027, anyone applying for a Graduate visa will be issued a visa of 18 months instead of 2 years. This gives graduates 18 months to find a role in which they will be eligible for sponsorship. Employers of apprenticeships and grad schemes with a 2-year duration may need to rethink the way that they structure their programmes if having a valid visa for the duration of the course is a requirement.
Increase of the Immigration Skills Charge
In a press briefing also released on 14 October 2025, the Home Office has indicated that the process to introduce the Immigration Skills Charge (ISC) increase will start later this week. This is done via statutory instrument and can be done relatively quickly. We expect to hear more news on when this will come into force imminently.
The new skills charge for medium to large sponsors will be £1,320 per year (up from £1,000 per year), and for small sponsors, this will be £480.48 per year (up from £364 per year). Employers who plan to sponsor workers in the near future should assign their Certificate of Sponsorship as soon as possible to benefit from the lower rate.
An update on the White Paper
Most of the White Paper changes are now either in force or have been announced. The big one that is left to come is changes to the 10 year Indefinite Leave to Remain route. Further information on this is coming from the Home Office gradually.
The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.
