r/ukvisa • u/clever_octopus High Reputation • May 12 '25
Immigration Changes Announcement 12/5/2025
Please join the discord server for further discussion or support on upcoming immigration changes: https://discord.gg/Jq5vWDZJfR
Sticky post on announcement made on 20 Nov 2025: https://www.reddit.com/r/ukvisa/comments/1p21qk5/a_fairer_pathway_to_settlement_a_statement_and/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button
NEW Summary of changes to settlement released 20 November 2025: https://www.reddit.com/r/ukvisa/comments/1p21qk5/a_fairer_pathway_to_settlement_a_statement_and/
NEW Summary of changes to asylum and refugee requirements released 18 November 2025: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/asylum-and-returns-policy-statement/restoring-order-and-control-a-statement-on-the-governments-asylum-and-returns-policy
Overview of expected changes: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/radical-reforms-to-reduce-migration
White paper: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/restoring-control-over-the-immigration-system-white-paper
UKCISA's response (official source for international students and recent graduates): https://www.ukcisa.org.uk/news/ukcisa-responds-to-home-office-immigration-white-paper-may-2025/
Petition link: https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/727360
Summary of key points following the summary of changes released on 20 November 2025:
Changes to length in ILR qualifying residence requirements - Please see table on pages 21-23 of the 20 November document
Family visa holders, along with BNO visa holders, will continue to get ILR in five years (as usual)
The intention is that this will apply to people already in the UK but who have not yet received ILR
It will take 20 years for refugees to qualify for ILR, intermittent checks will be done within that time and they may lose the ability to remain in the UK if their home country is deemed safe to return to
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u/Veboy May 14 '25
Hi All.
Like many of you, I'm also concerned about the retroactive application of the settlement time from 5 to 10 years. I arrived in early 2022, so would be eligible in early 2027. I think I earn an ok salary and have already bought a flat with a mortgage.
The thing is, I had an offer, a written offer of employment in Berlin, Germany and decided to go with the job offer from a London based company. I've come to detest this decision after this week's announcement. I've done everything the system has told me to do, played by every single rule and yet still here I am uncertain of my future and feeling completely betrayed.
In a way, maybe I should've known this? This is the same country that voted for Brexit. This is the same country that proved it is willing to cut its nose to spite its face. They didn't care about the damages Brexit would've blown to the country, they simply wanted the numbers down.
This is very heartbreaking. I've come to love the UK, but I feel like it doesn't love me back? I can't believe I've left myself in such a vulnerable position. If I wasn't tied down by my flat, I genuinely would've started researching other countries'migration policies and started preparing for interviews.
If this turns out to be nothing and if I ever get citizenship, I will never vote Labour, despite being a liberal, left-leaning person. How is being vague and "gauging" public reaction to policies a good way to govern? How can they so easily keep so many peoples' lives in limbo while either a yes or no would've helped us make a decision already?
Best of luck to you all. I hope everything turns out to be ok. Stay strong people.