London, 11 May 2025 — The UK Government has announced sweeping immigration reforms under a landmark White Paper set to be published tomorrow, marking a fundamental shift in how Britain manages migration, labour shortages, and domestic skills development.
The reforms, introduced by the Home Office and backed by Home Secretary Yvette Cooper, aim to address what ministers have described as a “failed immigration system” by raising the bar for skilled migrants, boosting domestic workforce participation, and restoring public trust.
Key Measures in the New Immigration White Paper:
Raising the skilled worker visa threshold to RQF Level 6, equivalent to a UK bachelor’s degree, in a move to curb the rising number of lower-skilled workers entering the UK.
Increased salary thresholds to align with the higher skill level, ensuring that migrants meet graduate-level earning expectations.
Strict limits on migration for lower-skilled occupations, which will only be permitted in exceptional cases of critical national shortages and under conditions where employers invest in training the UK workforce.
Creation of the Labour Market Evidence Group (LMEG) to monitor sectors’ reliance on overseas labour and support efforts to build sustainable domestic skills pipelines.
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper emphasized that the previous government had “lost control of the immigration system,” failing to invest in skills development at home while overseas recruitment soared.
“This has undermined public confidence, distorted our labour market, and been damaging for both our immigration system and our economy,” Cooper said. “Under our Plan for Change, we are taking decisive action to restore control and order to the immigration system, raise domestic training and skills, and bring down net migration while promoting economic growth.”
The reforms are part of a broader strategy to end dependency on overseas labour and ensure that domestic skills and training are the first response to workforce shortages, not immigration.
Written by: LIIE IMMIGRATION
