After the White Paper was published on 12 May 2025, Statement of changes to the Immigration Rules: HC 1333, 14 October 2025 has been published today 14th October 2025, to introduce more of the planned immigration law changes. This is another major update following the 22 July 2025 changes.
What are the new updates to the immigration rules
Important updates to Skilled worker route (B2 English will be required for applications submitted from 8th January 2026).
In today’s 14th October 2025 Home Office press release Home Office has also announced that the Immigration Skills Charge will shortly increase by 32%. The current ISC fee for small companies is £364 per year of COS and for other companies it is £1,000 per year of COS. Sponsor employers will soon have to spend 32% more for ISC for skilled workers and relevant GBM visa routes where the ISC is applicable.
Good character requirements for family visas will be brought in line with the requirements for other visas. This means more strict rules for criminality when applying for spouse, unmarried partner and other family visas. This amendment will apply common suitability provisions to the family and Private life routes – deleting the suitability rules that were bespoke to the Family and Private Life rules and applying Part Suitability (which is replacing Part 9: Grounds for Refusal) to Appendix FM, Appendix Private Life, Appendix Adult Dependent Relative and Appendix Settlement Family Life. The UK immigration rules are available online for anyone to access.
Clarifications in the wording for the continuous residence 30 months out of 60 in the Appendix EU.
Some changes in the Global Talent endorsement requirements as agreed with Arts Council England and their sub-endorsing body, Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA).
Introduction of a visit visa requirement for nationals of Botswana, Recognition of Palestine: changes to the visa national list, German school groups travel: easing travel requirements for German school groups visiting the UK, Change to the validity requirements in Appendix Temporary Permission to Stay for Victims of Human Trafficking or Slavery and Introduction of dependants for Stateless people (amendments to Appendix Statelessness) are some of the changes.
Changes to English language requirements for economic migration routes
The English language requirement for the Skilled Worker, High Potential Individual and Scale-up routes is increased from B1 Level to B2 Level (as defined under the Common European Framework for Reference for Languages (CEFR)).
The new requirements will apply to those seeking an initial grant of leave in a relevant route following the implementation of these provisions on 8 January 2026.
Those who have already obtained a permission where they were required to show a B1 level, will continue to be subject to a B1 level requirement where they are seeking an extension on the same route.
High Potential Individual – targeted and capped expansion of eligibility
Expansion of the High Potential Individual route, doubling the list of eligible institutions (subject to any exclusions the Secretary of State considers appropriate). This may be, for example, where inclusion of an institution would undermine UK national security or foreign policy. There will also be a cap placed on the route of 8,000 applications per year. This follows a commitment made in the Immigration White Paper, published in May 2025.
Change to reduce the duration of stay under the Graduate route to 18 months
The Graduate route currently allows eligible graduates who have successfully completed a UK bachelor’s degree, master’s degree, or other relevant qualification to remain in the UK for two years, and PhD graduates for three years.
The change to 18 months will apply to applications submitted on or after 1 January 2027.
PhD graduates continuing to receive three years of leave.
Change to allow students to transition to the Innovator Founder route
This is a specific change to Student work conditions that will allow Student visa holders to establish a business, where they have completed their course and are switching to the Innovator Founder route. It replaces a similar provision that previously applied to those switching into the Start-up route, which is now closed to new applications.
Change to replace Part 9: Grounds for Refusal, with Part Suitability
Part 9 general grounds has been replaced by a new section called Part Suitability, which serves as the central reference point for all suitability-related refusal and cancellation grounds. This change aligns with the terminology already used in simplified immigration routes, where applicants are assessed against “suitability requirements” rather than “grounds for refusal”.
Paragraph 39E, which sets out exceptions for individuals who have overstayed their visa or permission, has been moved into Part Suitability under a dedicated section titled “Exceptions for overstayers”. This ensures that overstaying exceptions are considered within the broader suitability framework and improves consistency across routes
References to “Part 9” have been replaced with “Part Suitability” in various sections, and the treatment of overstaying has been clarified to reflect the new location of paragraph 39E in Part Suitability.
The definition of ‘permission’ has also been clarified to reflect it means either permission to enter or permission to stay and includes settlement.
Change to align Family and Private Life rules with the common suitability rules for refusal (amendments to Appendix FM, Appendix Private Life, Appendix Adult Dependant Relative and Appendix Settlement Family Life)
Family and Private Life rules have, until now, not applied Part 9:Grounds for Refusal, and instead had their own suitability requirements which have resulted in a more generous approach where there are suitability considerations to be made.
This amendment will apply common suitability provisions to the family and Private life routes – deleting the suitability rules that were bespoke to the Family and Private Life rules and applying Part Suitability (which is replacing Part 9: Grounds for Refusal) to Appendix FM, Appendix Private Life, Appendix Adult Dependent Relative and Appendix Settlement Family Life.
Changes to Appendix Temporary Work – Seasonal Worker
Changes are being made to the rules concerning the number of months a seasonal worker must be outside the UK before being permitted to apply for a new seasonal work visa. These changes will permit seasonal workers to spend no more than six months working in the UK during any rolling 10-month period, rather than any rolling 12-month period under the previous rules.
Changes to the Ukraine Permission Extension Scheme to maintain safeguarding measures
The Ukraine Permission Extension Scheme (UPE) was launched on 4 February 2025. It provides a route for Ukrainians (and their eligible family members), who have already been living in the UK with Ukraine Scheme permission, to make a further application to extend their temporary sanctuary in the UK whilst the conflict in Ukraine remains ongoing.
Since the launch of UPE, children who apply with their parent who is either granted Ukraine Scheme permission at the same time as, or holds Ukraine Scheme permission, will have their period of permission aligned to that parent. Where both parents meet the criteria, the child’s permission is aligned with the parent whose permission expires last.
Updating the UPE eligibility requirements to ensure children can be granted permission in line with their legal guardian.
Specifying that the adult (parent or legal guardian) must be in the UK for a child’s permission to be aligned. application to be refused where a child born in the UK or Islands (Jersey, Guernsey, and the Isle of Man) to a Ukrainian national parent who holds, or is eligible for, Ukraine scheme permission, has been outside the UK or Islands since birth.
Making minor drafting changes to the validity requirements, in addition to the nationality and relationship requirements to clarify the current policy intention as reflected in the rules.
Changes to Appendix Global Talent
As agreed with Arts Council England and their sub-endorsing body, Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA), Home Office is expanding some requirements to allow individuals within the architectural field to provide evidence of their achievements as a named member of a group or contributor, as well for their work as an individual. Additionally, they are allowing applicants to provide evidence of significantly contributing to being shortlisted or nominated for an international architectural award to qualify. Both of these changes more closely align the criteria for architects with other sections of the arts and culture requirements.
Changes to Appendix Global Talent: Prestigious Prizes
Applicants who hold a qualifying prize can qualify without the need to obtain an endorsement from one of the Global Talent endorsing bodies. expert bodies consider the prizes listed demonstrate irrefutable evidence of prize holders being at the pinnacle of their profession. To be eligible, prizes must be given to named individuals, and therefore the list does not include prestigious awards for specific works, such as an award-winning film, or to whole organisations. Prizes included must also be open to all nationalities and winners must be determined by experts or peers, rather than a public vote.
Following consultation with the Global Talent endorsing bodies, a further 27 prizes have been added to the list and one prize has been deleted as it is no longer awarded and there are no living former winners. In addition, a number of small corrections have been made to existing prize names and the order they are listed in the tables.
Changes to the EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
The changes clarify the drafting of the change made from 16 July 2025 by Statement of Changes HC 836, enabling a holder of pre-settled status under the EUSS to be granted settled status where they have been resident in the UK for at least 30 months in total in the most recent 60-month period. They also bring the grounds for cancelling pre-settled status on or before the holder’s arrival in the UK into line with those for curtailing it in-country, so that, where proportionate, this can be based on the fact that the person never met, as well as where they have ceased to meet, the requirements of Appendix EU.
Student Route Maintenance Requirement Annual Uplift
There is a maintenance requirement for student applicants to demonstrate they have funds to support themselves for each month of their course (up to 9 months). This level of funds is aligned with the maintenance loans available for home students, which is reviewed every year. This change increases the maintenance requirement to match the maintenance loans available for home students for the 2025/2026 academic year. We will ensure it continues to align with home students’ maintenance loans in future.