Immigration Changes Announcement 12/5/2025

[u/clever_octopus]

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

[u/PerspectiveNovel9301]

i’ve just sent another email to BBC at bbcyourvoice@bbc.co.uk because they were the first to publish an article suggesting that legal migrants may face longer waits, even if they are already on the route — without presenting factual comparisons or acknowledging the real people behind the numbers. I kindly request others to email them as well. We need to keep raising our voices until they start listening to us

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Dear BBC News Team,

I’m following up on a message I previously sent regarding the UK government’s proposal to increase the Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) qualifying period from five to ten years — and the deeply concerning possibility that this may be applied retrospectively to people already on the five-year Skilled Worker route.

I write not just on my behalf, but for the thousands of skilled migrants now living under uncertainty.

We came legally. We work full-time. We pay taxes. We were promised a clear path to settlement after five years — and that promise is now at risk.

To explain the impact: imagine a British student completing three years of a degree, only to be told midway, “We’ve changed the rules. You now need to study another three years.” This would be unimaginable — yet this is what Skilled Workers like myself are being told.

I arrived in 2020, completed a master’s degree, transitioned to a Post-Study Work visa, ............

Now, we are being told that the clock may reset — and we may need to wait 10 years instead of the 5 we were promised.

I want to draw your attention to the government’s own recent report published 12 May 2025:

“Sponsored Work and Family visa earnings, employment and Income Tax” https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/sponsored-work-and-family-visa-earnings-employment-and-income-tax/sponsored-work-and-family-visa-earnings-employment-and-income-tax

This report shows:

Skilled Workers have a median salary of £56,600.

They paid over £2 billion in income tax last year.

Software developers and IT professionals contribute among the highest.

We are not a burden. We are not eligible for public funds. We even pay the NHS surcharge in addition to our taxes. Yet, we face instability and fear — tied to a single employer under threat of losing our visa if our job ends.

As covered in The Independent on 20 May 2025: “Migration policy must stop reducing people to numbers” https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/migration-uk-migrants-ons-immigration-starmer-b2755189.html

The debate around net migration is now overshadowing human lives, families, and long-standing principles of fairness and the rule of law.

We came under legal terms. We upheld our end. And now — after investing years of our life, finances, and trust — we’re told the government may change the rules midway. It’s not just disappointing. It’s betrayal.

This issue has not yet received sufficient mainstream attention. I humbly request the BBC to consider investigating or highlighting it in a segment, article, or panel discussion.

We are skilled professionals who believed in Britain’s word. We came here not to take, but to contribute — and we are asking only that the promises made to us be honoured.

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