News alert / New immigration rules

Measures to transform the UK’s legal migration system and drive down levels of migration will come into force within weeks, the home secretary has announced. Measures include:

• Reforms restricting care workers from bringing dependants and requiring care providers to register with the Care Quality Commission if they are sponsoring migrants – from 11 March
• Immigration rules including the removal of the 20% going rate discount for occupations on the shortage occupation list – from 14 March
• Increasing the minimum salary required for those arriving on the skilled worker visa from £26,200 to £38,700 from 4 April – workers on a health and care visa and on health and education national pay scales will be exempt from this
• Increasing the minimum income requirement threshold in stages for family visas, starting at £29,000 – from 11 April.
  
  From 6 February, the immigration health surcharge will be raised by 66% to £1,035, which the government says reflects increases in healthcare expenditure and NHS use by migrants.