Friday 6 March 2026

On Thursday 5 March 2026, the Home Office published a new Statement of Changes in Immigration Rules (HC 1691) together with an accompanying Explanatory Memorandum.

While the announcement was widely reported in the media as focusing on asylum and protection policy, the Statement of Changes also introduces a number of important amendments affecting work, settlement and sponsorship routes.

Below, we highlight key developments.

‘Visa brake’ on Student and Work applications for 4 nationalities
The Government has introduced a temporary closure, touted as a ‘visa brake’, whereby Student applications from nationals of Afghanistan, Cameroon, Myanmar and Sudan will be refused, along with Skilled Worker applications from Afghan nationals. According to the Home Secretary’s statement, this was in response to increases in in-country asylum claims from individuals with these nationalities. The measure is explicitly described as temporary and reviewable, not a permanent closure of these routes for the specified nationalities.

This change will take effect from Thursday 26 March 2026.

Skilled Worker route – salary compliance changes        
One of the most significant changes concerns how Skilled Worker salary requirements must be met.

Under the revised Immigration Rules, sponsored workers must be paid the required salary in pay periods of at least monthly frequency. Both the minimum salary threshold and the applicable hourly going rate must be satisfied within each pay period, rather than assessed solely on an annual basis.

The rules do allow limited flexibility to average pay over longer periods in certain circumstances.

The Home Office states that the change is intended to allow salary compliance to be assessed without waiting until the end of a 12-month period. In practice, this means sponsors must demonstrate that salary requirements are met for each relevant pay period.

Employers may therefore need to review payroll arrangements, particularly where they:

• operate quarterly or otherwise unusual pay cycles;
• rely on annualised salary calculations;
• pay senior employees less frequently than monthly;
• use commission, bonus or variable-hours remuneration structures.

Sponsors should ensure that payroll systems and working patterns are structured so that both the salary threshold and hourly rate are met during each pay period. Further guidance will be needed to ensure sponsor compliance with these changes and we shall update clients when this information is provided by the Home Office.

This change will take effect from Wednesday 8 April 2026. Applications based on a Certificate of Sponsorship issued before that date will be assessed under the Immigration Rules in force on 7 April 2026.

Biometric reuse                    
The Home Office is expanding its ability to reuse previously enrolled biometric information (fingerprints and photograph).

Where an applicant already holds immigration permission and has previously provided biometrics, the Home Office may reuse that information rather than requiring the individual to attend a Visa Application Centre (VAC) again to submit this information.

This means some applicants may no longer need to resubmit fingerprints or present their passports purely for identity verification when applying from within the UK.

Instead of having to attend an appointment, individuals should instead be able to upload a live facial image using a specified smartphone app.

The change is part of the Home Office’s shift toward digital immigration status and online application processes. Eligibility for biometric reuse will depend on application circumstances, with further details provided in Home Office guidance and within the online system.

This change will take effect from 8 April 2026.

English language requirement for settlement to increase to B2                 
The English language requirement for settlement (indefinite leave to remain) will increase from CEFR level B1 to B2 across a number of routes, including Skilled Worker, Global Talent, Innovator Founder and UK Ancestry.

Importantly, this change will apply not only to future applicants but also to individuals who are already on a pathway to settlement.

For example, migrants on the Skilled Worker and Scale-up routes will still meet existing English language requirements when applying for their initial permission, but will need to meet the higher B2 standard when applying for settlement.

The implementation date has been set significantly in advance to allow individuals time to prepare. The new requirement will take effect on 26 March 2027.

Expansion of the Global Talent route  
The Global Talent route will be expanded to include a new design pathway, enabling exceptionally talented and promising professionals in the design sector to access it.

Changes are also being introduced to simplify eligibility for certain academic and research roles. Clearer criteria have been agreed with the UK’s National Academies, which act as endorsing bodies for these pathways.

PhD-level roles that involve academic, research or innovation leadership – or where research or innovation is the primary function – at recognised research organisations may qualify for the fast-track endorsement process.

These changes will take effect from 1 July 2026.

Global Business Mobility – Secondment Worker route                    
The Global Business Mobility Secondment Worker route is being amended to reduce the overseas employment requirement.

Currently, workers must usually have been employed overseas by the sending business for at least 12 months. This requirement will be reduced to six months.

The change provides additional flexibility for multinational businesses undertaking temporary projects in the UK, although the route will remain limited to specific secondment arrangements linked to high-value contracts.

This change will take effect from 8 April 2026, and applications submitted before that date will be assessed under the existing rules.

Global Business Mobility – Service Supplier route and Indian nationals              
Changes are also being made to the Service Supplier route to reflect commitments under the UK–India trade agreement.

The amendments allow certain Indian service suppliers to enter the UK for up to 12 months. In some cases, salary requirements are adjusted or removed to reflect trade agreement provisions rather than the domestic Skilled Worker framework.

These changes are intended to facilitate the temporary movement of professionals delivering services under international trade arrangements.

They will take effect from 8 April 2026.

Changes to criminality thresholds            
The Immigration Rules are also being amended to strengthen criminality provisions.

Under the new rules, individuals convicted in the UK who receive a suspended sentence of 12 months or more will face mandatory refusal or cancellation of permission to enter or stay.

The change aligns immigration decision-making more closely with provisions in the Sentencing Act 2026 and with existing deportation powers.

These changes will take effect from 26 March 2026. Applications submitted before that date will be assessed under the current rules.

New visa requirements for nationals of Nicaragua and St Lucia              
Nationals of Nicaragua and St Lucia are now required to obtain a visitor visa before travelling to the UK.

The change took effect at 15:00 GMT on 5 March 2026, and both countries have been removed from eligibility for the Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) system.

The Home Office states that the measure responds to a rise in asylum claims from individuals entering under visitor arrangements.

A six-week transitional period allows travellers who had already obtained an ETA and booked travel before the change took effect to enter without a visa.

EU Settlement Scheme changes                
Several technical changes have been made to the EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS).

A new suitability provision allows the Home Office to refuse applications where it considers it more likely than not that an applicant assisted another person in obtaining UK immigration status fraudulently.

Other changes aim to streamline the application process. For example:

• individuals with pre-settled status will be able to submit further applications more easily;
• certain expired biometric residence cards can be used for digital applications for up to 60 months, rather than the previous 18-month limit.

Additional requirements are also being introduced for the EUSS Family Permit route. Applicants must now provide evidence of the sponsor’s EUSS status – for example, a Unique Application Number – and demonstrate the existence of a genuine family relationship, such as through marriage or birth certificates.

These changes will take effect from 29 April 2026.

Asylum and protection changes                 
The Statement of Changes also includes several significant developments in the asylum system.

Key changes include:

• ‘core protection’ model – the government has replaced the standard five-year grant of refugee leave with a 30-month temporary protection period, subject to periodic review. Under the forthcoming ‘earned settlement’ proposals, the Refugee route to settlement will be extended to 20 years, unless individuals qualify to switch into other immigration routes, such as work or study;
• work restrictions for asylum seekers – where asylum seekers have permission to work (for example, after waiting more than 12 months for an initial decision), they will now be restricted to roles at RQF level 6 or above, aligning the rules more closely with the Skilled Worker framework.

Some of these measures were previously outlined in the government’s May 2025 Immigration White Paper, and further changes are expected as the policy develops.

Conclusion
Taken together, these changes reflect a continued shift toward a more tightly controlled, operationally enforceable immigration system that emphasises digitalisation.

The introduction of the ‘visa brake’ indicates a potential new direction of travel in immigration policymaking. Where previously the targeting of specific nationalities for application bans would have been very rare, this type of measure appears to be becoming more prominent and may be a sign of things to come.

Various of the changes – including the English language requirement change for settlement applications and the new ‘temporary protection’ paradigm for refugees – kickstart the implementation of significant reform programmes set out in the May 2025 immigration white paper and the earned settlement framework.

Furthermore, the Skilled Worker salary amendments further emphasise sponsor compliance, likely increasing the practical compliance burden on sponsors and making technical breaches easier for the Home Office to identify, presumably through HMRC data sharing.

At the same time, reforms such as biometric reuse and digital application processes suggest an effort to streamline aspects of the system for compliant applicants.

The broader package, therefore, combines facilitation in areas linked to efficiency and digitalisation with stricter rules around enforcement, criminality and eligibility, continuing the trend toward a more regulated and closely monitored immigration framework.

Get in touch
If you require assistance, contact your assigned LDI lawyer or our Enquiries team at enquiries@lauradevine.com, and we will be pleased to discuss how we can help. You can also subscribe to our mailing list to receive the latest updates to UK immigration law.