After USA, UK has taken decisive decision to change its immigration policies. Recently, presented a white paper by UK government in parliament which is a condominium of several new changes focusing on legal migration. That if passed and made law, can substantially cause adversities to a country like India, where brain drain is not a new concept.

The white paper introduces itself by first acknowledging the immigration history of UK and how the graph has changed over a period, from higher-skilled migrants toward lower-skilled migrants, that has caused extra demand to their public services and housing supply during a decade when both are already stretched, adding to pressure on key services and the housing market, and fragmenting social relations.

The White Paper on immigration seeks to restore the control over immigration which they have long lost (according to the UK government).  The net migration for June 2024 was +7,28,000.

Reason for Higher Migration

• New policies were introduced that made it easier for lower-skilled workers to enter the condominium, increasing from 16,200 to 27,900 for the years 2022 and 2023 respectively.
• Increase in social care workforce created an inexorable flow of immigrants.
• Increase in student visa approval, even for sponsors from lower-ranked universities (ranked between 60–1,000). For lower-end universities, the visa issuance increased by 49%.
• Visa approvals for dependents (both workers and students) increased from 5% to 20% during 2021–2023. Notably, student visa dependents are allowed to enter the UK without needing to prove English proficiency.
• Stay rates have risen. Many students and workers pre-plan to stay in the UK long term. Hence, higher inflow combined with higher stay rates has led to increased net migration over the years.
• Illegal immigration and overstaying are also significant factors. Between 2018 and 2024, around 220,000 individuals were found to have arrived via irregular means, including 150,000 who crossed the Channel in small boats.
   

Economic Impact

The UK expected to grow its real GDP percentage with increasing migration, but that did not materialize. Compared to other G7 countries, the UK's GDP growth was only 3.4%, placing it second-last ahead of Germany, which saw a -0.1% change. The UK has argued that this is due to the inflow of lower-skilled workers, which affected overall productivity by suppressing wage growth. They underlined the importance of mixed migration. The government believes the cornerstone solution is to improve living standards across the UK by increasing per capita income, thereby boosting economic output.
 

Steps to Reduce the Net Migration

• Train UK workers to reduce dependence on overseas workers and alter the pattern of mixed migration.
• Raise the graduate-level threshold for skilled visas to limit opportunities for lower-skilled workers.
• Narrow the list of critical shortage occupations (e.g., medical, engineering, IT, education) to a Temporary Shortage List (TSL). The TSL, introduced in May 2025, targets short-term labour shortages in roles requiring RQF Level 3–5 skills (below degree level).
• Completely close the social care visa route for overseas applicants.
• Increase English language requirements.
• Focus worker visas on reducing reliance on overseas employees and eliminate the social care visa. This is seen as a necessary move for the UK to become self-reliant.
• New citizenship rules will assess an individual's contributions to the UK before granting long-term settlement.
• Implement new rules for asylum and border security, including increased deportations and ending the use of asylum hotels.

Skilled Work Visa

Introduced in 2020 by replacing Tier 2 work visa. This skilled work visa basically reduced the bar for working in UK, by making RQF requirements from level 6 to 3. Health and care worker route to include social care workforce whose RQF requirements are lower than level 6 increased the number of visas issued from under 10% to 60% for Q1 2021 and Q1 of 2024 accordingly. People participating in labour market through overseas recruitment affected the economy.

For instance, the ecozone saw a decrease in employment rate over the five years. The reason for this can be because too many young people don't have access to high quality education or don't have essential skills, which leads to overreliance on migration.

Steps That UK Government Plans to Take to Lower the Net Migration

Workforce Strategies

The higher rate of net migration, especially in the work sector, is related to the lack of skills, training, and conditions in the UK. The government highlights the lack of workforce planning in sectors like health, social care, and construction.
 

For Skilled Workers

Most people migrate overseas for better living standards, generally through better jobs, and the UK is no exception. To address this:

• The government proposes to raise the skilled worker threshold back to RQF 6 and above, resulting in a higher salary threshold.
• The immigration salary list will be abolished, which currently gives migrants discounts on salaries.
   

Temporary Shortage List (TSL)

The TSL is a newly introduced immigration policy that will address short-term labour concerns, replacing the shortage occupation list.

• Occupations requiring skills of RQF levels 3–5 will be recruited on a limited time basis through point-based immigration.
• Employers will be encouraged to seek employees from the domestic workforce.
• A new Temporary Shortage List will provide time-limited access to point-based immigration for occupations below RQF level 6.
• TSL will prioritize the domestic audience, including training plans and skill organizations such as Skill England.
• The new restrictions will affect not just the applicant but also their dependants.
   

Adult Social Care

The UK government will completely end overseas recruitment for social care visas.

Other Targeted Sectors

• Refugee employment
• Immigration skill charge
• Global talent
   

Skilled Students

The UK government has taken a strong stand on this issue, supported by valid points and strong data. While they acknowledge the contributions of international students—who provided £12 billion in tuition fees to Higher Education Institutions in 2022/23—they also present concerns:

• Some students don't intend to complete their chosen course and start working instead.
• Many students who enter the UK on a student visa later seek asylum as their visa expiry date approaches.
• 30% of asylum seekers are visa holders, and a large portion of these (47%) are students.

This suggests that many students claim asylum under a student visa, even though no substantial change has occurred in their home countries.
Strong Response By UK Government.
The government plan to impose higher charges / levy on higher education provider from international students so that can be invested in higher education and skill system domestically, this idea will be explored in Autum Budget.

Basic Compliance Assessment (BCA) is a evaluation body in UK that hold a student sponsor letter license in UK, (sponsors the university that offers a seat to the student), hence there are some thresholds that all sponsoring institution must meet in order to recruit international students. The bar for course completion rate will be increase (if the bill is passed) to 90% from 80%.  UK will simply tighten up the sponsors work and strengthen the requirements for the sponsors.

Short - term Study Routes
A person aged 16 and above can study English language course in UK for between 6 and 11 months from a government recognized institution. For this the visa rejection rate is 48%, the home office believes that too many students are using this route to seek asylum instead of genuinely coming for studies.

To overcome that and not being agnostic the authorities will review the institution and make sure that their processes are robust and consider what further checks need to be put in place to ensure the right level of scrutiny is being applied both before an organisation is accredited, and when that accreditation is renewed.

The ability of graduates to stay in Uk will be deduced to 18-month period and government will introduce levy on international student, further details will be out in Autum Budget.
 
Conclusion
The UK's 2025 immigration reforms represent a decisive and transformative shift in national policy aimed at tightening control over migration, enhancing domestic workforce participation, and curbing the rising dependence on overseas labor. The reforms are a reaction to unprecedented net migration levels and perceived misuse of student and work visa routes, especially by lower-skilled migrants and dependent applicants.

Key areas of focus include stricter requirements for skilled visas, closure of the social care visa route, tougher English language criteria, redefined sponsorship rules for international students, and the introduction of the Temporary Shortage List (TSL) to limit low-skilled migration. These steps indicate a clear pivot towards prioritizing high-skilled migrants who contribute directly to the UK economy and society.

While the measures are designed to alleviate pressure on public services and raise productivity, they also risk straining UK–India relations due to potential impacts on Indian migrants and students—a country already facing significant brain drain. The UK government's approach underscores a broader global trend of nations seeking more self-reliance and selective migration aligned with economic strategy and national interests.

Ultimately, the reform reflects a recalibration of the UK's immigration ethos—balancing economic pragmatism with political resolve, in an era increasingly defined by controlled borders and scrutinized mobility.