TAKE BACK CONTROL

Karendeep Kaur
May 13
3 min read

world map with people surround the top to make a circle with green and blue boarder background

The Labour Government’s White Paper on Immigration pledges that every area of the UK immigration system will be tightened up – work, family and study routes.

When will this come into force?

The first round of changes could well be introduced in the coming weeks, yet no clarification has been provided to outline which points will take priority.

Key takeaways:

Skill requirements raised to degree level – raising the level back up to RQF Level 6 and above with salary thresholds set to increase
English language pass mark raised for skilled workers and will also include adult dependants needing to pass an English language test
Settled status qualification period raised from 5 years to 10 years
No more ‘cheap’ labour. Instead, a controlled, selective and fair visa process allowing the UK to choose the world’s best talent
Abolishing the Immigration Salary List and replacing it with a narrow temporary list of critical shortage occupations
32% increase to the Immigration Skills Charge levy

The UK will be weaned off ‘cheap’ labour and expected to train British individuals that seek opportunities to work in the UK.

This will undoubtedly create opportunities for the 9.2 million people economically inactive in the UK. The Government has plans to train these individuals to support their transition into the labour market.

The ‘Get Britain Working’ White Paper published in November 2024 highlighted key areas for improvement and the strategies to be used to implement these improvements.

One of which was to bring down net migration and upskill the local workforce.

The Government vowed to work with industry experts to highlight where the skills gaps are most prominent. The introduction of the Labour Market Evidence Group (LME Group) is doing exactly this, in which the Government will rely on information from the Industrial Strategy Advisory Council, Department for Work and Pensions, Skills England and The Migration Advisory Committee, to gather a clearer picture on the state of the UK workforce, training levels and current participation by the domestic workforce.

How does this impact businesses?

From the evidence, those sectors which have a high reliance on overseas recruitment will need to produce or update a workforce strategy with which they must comply.

However, training the local workforce is a long-term plan, yet these changes coming into force potentially within a matter of weeks will only put extra pressure on industries who are already facing skills shortages. There does not seem to be a short-term plan in place to alleviate the skills gap which could result in businesses having to take drastic measures in the form of redundancies and business closures.

Where do we go from here?

During this transition phase, it is important that your house is in order. Updating your internal Right to Work and Compliance policies should be at the forefront as the White Paper further touches upon stricter enforcement actions to be rolled out which will no doubt, include onsite visits.

FG Solicitors are here to guide you through your compliance journey, from mock audits to HR training. Contact us to find out more.

For guidance and support on global mobility strategies or corporate immigration advice contact Karen Kaur at FG Solicitors on 0808 172 9322, email info@fgsolicitors.com or complete our quick contact form for a no obligation discussion!