Business immigration changes ahead

The Government is keeping up the pace on immigration changes, in line with its manifesto commitments, policy announcements and recent party conference promises. Vishal Makol rounds up what is coming following the latest Statement of Changes HC1333, published by the Government on 14 October 2025. Many of these changes were outlined in the May 2025 White Paper.

The overall thrust is to tighten criteria and raise thresholds so that employers are disincentivised from falling back on immigration to save costs, and encouraged to recruit, train and upskill resident employees.

As of 21st October 2025, some Sponsorship fees have increased. Expedited processing of a sponsorship management request made by a Worker sponsor or Temporary worker sponsor rises by £200 to £350. Priority service for expedited processing of sponsor licence applications rises from £500 to £750.

Help to do this will be funded by an increased Immigration Skills Charge which will be increased by 32% from £1,000 to £1,320 from 16 December 2025. A different statutory instrument introduces this; critics of another cost burden on employers will realise that this barely outstrips inflation since the ISC was introduced.

HC1333 introduces these main changes:

English language requirement - raised to B2

The English language requirement for the Skilled Worker, High Potential Individual and Scale-up routes increases from B1 Level to B2 Level (as defined under the Common European Framework for Reference for Languages (CEFR)) from 8 January 2026. This will apply to new applicants. Applicants who already have obtained immigration permission at B1 level may rely on their proven B1 proficiency when applying for an extension, rather than take the B2 exam.

Graduate visa duration - reduced to 18 months

Graduate visa duration will be reduced from 2 years to 18 months for most new entrants whose applications are submitted after 1 January 2027. Those switching from student status with a PhD will continue to receive permission for 3 years – in line with the commitment to prioritise the most highly skilled.

High Potential Individual route – eligible academic institution list doubled

The reach of the High Potential Individual route is being expanded – but numbers are being restricted.  The list of eligible academic institutions – non-UK universities whose graduates are deemed to offer the highest potential - will be doubled. There will also be a new cap of 8,000 applications per year; currently, numbers are uncapped. Immigration caps were abandoned in recent years and criticised as arbitrary and unworkable – this Government’s reintroduction of them is tied to its “quality rather than quantity” argument for economic migration. This will take effect from 4 November 2025.

Innovator founder route

The Innovator Founder Route enables migrants completing study in the UK to switch from their student visas to establish a business on course completion.

Part suitability

Part 9 of the current scheme will be replaced by a new section called Part Suitability on 11 November 2025, which will be a central reference point for all suitability-related refusal and cancellation grounds. This change aligns with the terminology already used in simplified immigration routes, where applicants are assessed against “suitability requirements”

Furthermore, there will be changes within the Immigration Rules to Appendix FM, Appendix Private Life, Appendix Adult Dependant Relative and Appendix Settlement Family Life to use the suitability rules found in Part Suitability.

Seasonal Workers – time restrictions tightened

From 11 November 2025, seasonal workers will be allowed to work in the UK for no more than six months during any rolling 10-month period. This is a change from any rolling 12-month period under the previous rules.

Other changes which tie in with world events and the sharpened labour market impact focus of UK immigration policy include:

• Botswana – new visit visa requirement

A visit visa requirement is being reintroduced for nationals of Botswana from 25 November 2025. It may surprise many that Botswana was not already a visa national listed country. This is due to the persistently high number of Botswanan nationals who travel as visitors, then claim asylum from a country now generally considered to be safe. People holding an ETA issued before the deadline and arriving on or before 25 November 2025 will benefit from a six-week visa-free period.

The UK’s formal recognition of Palestine as a state in September 2025 means Palestinians can now apply for a visa from 11 November 2025.

• German school exchanges – eased arrangements

There will ease of travel requirements for German school groups when visiting the UK. This change will allow people aged 19 years and under who are studying at a German school or educational institution to come to the UK without an advance permission (an ETA or visa) when they are travelling as part of a school party of five or more. This follows he first major bilateral treaty between the UK and an EU member state since Brexit, signed in July., It is designed to avoid problems faced by groups caught in airport and kiosk queues as they try to register, which has resulted in several exchanges being cancelled.  

• Ukraine UPE Scheme - safeguarding for child migrants

There will be changes to the Ukraine Permission Extension (UPE) Scheme to maintain safeguarding measures. First, there will be an updating of the UPE eligibility requirements to ensure children can be granted permission in line with their legal guardian. As an additional safeguarding measure, in the eligibility requirements adult (parent or legal guardian) must be in the UK for a child’s permission to be aligned.

There is also an amendment to the residence requirement to allow an application to be refused where a child born in the UK or Islands to a Ukrainian national parent who holds, or is eligible for, Ukraine scheme permission, has been outside the UK or Islands since birth. There will also be minor drafting changes to the validity requirements. 

Summary – implementation dates

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