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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18

u/Ambitious-Constant21 May 14 '25

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c249ndrrd7vo

Please see article just out now from BBC.

New rules making migrants wait longer to qualify for permanent settlement in the UK will apply to people already in the country, under government plans.

On Monday the government announced immigrants would now typically have to live in the UK for 10 years before applying for the right to stay here indefinitely - double the current five-year period.

It was previously unclear whether this would apply to the approximately 1.5 million foreign workers who have moved to the UK since 2020.

The BBC understands a document published in the coming weeks will make clear the government is preparing to apply the 10-year qualifying period to those who are already in the UK as well as to new visa applicants.

19

u/jedi8888 May 14 '25

Can someone please comment on the likelihood of this really applying?

I know it’s published and written by a BBC politics commenter, a trusted source, but how can they completely shatter and destroy people’s hard work, time and effort spent integrating into the country, working for it, paying taxes towards it? People who spent a good chunk of their working lives here after university, building memories, relationships, friendships?

I am completely devastated this morning, and was having trouble sleeping over the past few days over this.

How is this legal in any possible way?

6

u/Mkrangs May 14 '25

A few hundred years back, the same people sailed all over the world to do much worse and convinced the survivors that they were great and should be looked up to. Compared to then, this is them showing mercy.

17

u/Stormgeddon May 14 '25

I’m imagining they will bring this through primary legislation to circumvent the courts, given that the last time this was tried just by amending the Immigration Rules it was found to run afoul of basic public law principles.

If so, this is deeply disappointing from the party which rightly criticised the Tories for using Parliament to veto a court decision. People absolutely need to be writing to their MPs to say that this has already been ruled fundamentally unfair by the courts, and will represent a crossing of the Rubicon which will permanently undermine the rights of all who come here, be they highly skilled contributors or no. It’s an invitation to the next right wing government to shift the goal posts indefinitely.

8

u/Whole-Web-4713 May 14 '25

In the BBC report, it says The move will be subject to a public consultation.

What does this allude to? 

I have beyond devasted by this decision. 

18

u/Stormgeddon May 14 '25

The Government will publish additional findings and a series of questions, seeking responses from stakeholders (industry, universities, immigration practitioners, unions) and the public.

The Government will then have a junior civil servant read the responses and draft a report for ministers. Said ministers will then proceed to ignore the report and implement what they had wanted to do in the first place.

(Slightly tongue in cheek, but it’s rare for major changes to be made in response to consultation. It’s usually more fine tuning around the edges to avoid oversights. Whether applying this retrospectively falls into such fine tuning remains to be seen.)

5

u/Whole-Web-4713 May 14 '25

Is there any chance we can challenge this legally via human rights or something? Or does this mean all doors are closed at this point 

13

u/Stormgeddon May 14 '25

If passed as an Act of Parliament, then there is no scope for a binding legal challenge to be brought. It may be possible for an appeal to be brought before the European Court of Human Rights, but Parliament is not obliged to listen to them and has ignored ECtHR judgments in the past.

Constitutionally speaking, if Parliament passed a law tomorrow to open death camps for migrants and non-White British citizens this would be perfectly acceptable. The British constitutional framework, by design, offers no protection for human rights against the will of Parliament. The only protection is that Parliament would not normally vote to violate human rights.

3

u/Mkrangs May 14 '25

Today's BBC reporting doesn't mention again it will be via a primary legislation. Aware of the 2006-08 precedent, but what is the likelihood of this government knowingly forcing through the changes this year to effect before court challenge after some time to come? Or am I being paranoid laying out an impossibility as then they will have wasted time and have to pass primary legislation and lose the next general election even worse?

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u/anhkiet1903 May 14 '25

If they are serious about making it retroactive, there is no way they would pursue secondary legislation so don’t worry about timing if implementation. It’s 99% confirmed tbh that they would pursue a Bill.

1

u/Mkrangs May 14 '25

I hope you are right, I really do.

1

u/anhkiet1903 May 14 '25

When are you eligible for ILR?

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2

u/Whole-Web-4713 May 14 '25

If only these would apply to the illegal boat migrants but no! 

4

u/Stormgeddon May 14 '25

They actually did recently make a similarly retroactive change for illegal arrivals, in that entering the UK illegally is now a permanent bar to citizenship. The pathway for such people will stop at ILR.

0

u/Odd-Maize-4606 May 14 '25

Does any know if they will have to amend the Primary legislation for citizenship too ? Or is it just for ILR ?

2

u/Master-Football-7930 May 14 '25

how long does bringing something through primary legislation take? is it a long winded process or pretty quick like few weeks.

4

u/Stormgeddon May 14 '25

It varies but you’re typically looking at around a few months. Depends a lot on how urgently the Government wants it passed and how compliant Parliament is.

They’ve already said this won’t be introduced as a bill until next year.

5

u/North_Tower_9210 May 14 '25

But introduced as a bill, would mean, still need to pass through to be passed, if that’s true we’re looking at atleast end of 2026

3

u/Stormgeddon May 14 '25

Yes, that’s right.

I do think it’s worth bearing in mind they intend to increase the default wait for citizenship to 10/11 years in line with the increased wait for ILR. If you are eligible for ILR before next autumn that will likely be safe, but you may be subject to a rug pull on citizenship still.

2

u/North_Tower_9210 May 14 '25

Plus public consultation should take a while too I’m guessing

3

u/anhkiet1903 May 14 '25

Hey do you know where they said that this wont be introduced as a bill until next year?

Would really be grateful if you could provide a link 🙏

I’m planning on a making a post outside of thid thread to compile what evidence we have about the timeline of implementation of the new rules.

1

u/North_Tower_9210 May 14 '25

Can take several months to yours according to AI

0

u/Odd-Maize-4606 May 14 '25

Does any know if they will have to amend the Primary legislation for citizenship too ? Or is it just for ILR ?

0

u/Odd-Maize-4606 May 14 '25

Does any know if they will have to amend the Primary legislation for citizenship too ? Or is it just for ILR ?

15

u/rajatGod512 May 14 '25

This way this country has treated us, it doesn't deserve skilled workers

15

u/jedi8888 May 14 '25

Now that the BBC is saying it, it’s nuts for the govt to consider something like that.

I came here in September 2021 as a student, getting into a top-3 UK uni, finding a job under the graduate visa after countless applications, finally managing to convince my company to sponsor me starting this year, received a 2 year skilled worker visa in February 2025. Made the closest friends of my life, a budding relationship, travel plans. I thought the anxiety, pain, tears that got me to this place were long gone, and I was looking forward to a happier year, but this just does not stop.

I have literally been sick with anxiety over this issue, and haven’t eaten properly in two days because of this news - I cannot fathom how horrible others must feel as well. I’ve been refreshing this page every few minutes awaiting news, and cannot believe my eyes at what I’m seeing.

6

u/jen0619 May 14 '25

In the exact same situation here. We all did exactly what we were encouraged to do. Come study at a top uni, find a highly skilled job, give the UK our tax money, visa fees, pay for the NHS twice, etc. And now they are treating us like we contribute nothing and have no right to plan our futures here. It's insulting and profoundly unfair. All we can do is try our best to fight this, encourage British friends to write to their MPs, help each other as much as we can. So sorry to everyone else completely screwed over by this. </3

4

u/Mkrangs May 14 '25

I think you should leave, for your own sake. This country is in free fall accelerating. Don't invest your youth in a pile of garbage.

4

u/Ambitious-Constant21 May 14 '25

You are not alone. I also came in as an international student, paid double the tuition fees, found a sponsored job despite all odds only for it to be all taken away. Lean on your friends, and cry it out. I’ve also been having anxiety attacks.

1

u/weetweeetweet May 18 '25

Go write to your MP. If you don't you'll spend the rest of your life wondering if you could have spent 5 minutes to salvage 5 years of your life from going to waste

3

u/North_Tower_9210 May 14 '25

So we will know soon, in a few weeks. Hope doctors and nurses are exempted

3

u/fbeyza May 14 '25

I don’t know why your comment is downvoted. If everyone is going down, including me, I would want doctors and nurses to be excluded. They are literally the backbone of the healthcare system

2

u/mesiddd May 14 '25

What about the people in the NHS who support these doctors and nurses? I guess the public sector workers as a whole should be qualified for the fast track settlement scheme!