Changes to UK visa requirements: a quick look at the key points

The government has unveiled a package of measures to reduce the number of people coming to the UK.

Home Secretary James Cleverly said the changes, which are due to come into force from next spring, will achieve the biggest ever reduction in net migration.

To be eligible for a skilled worker visa to come to the UK, your job offer must meet the minimum salary requirements.

Currently, this is the highest of £26,200 per annum, or £10.75 per hour or the ‘going rate’ for your job.

From next spring, this will rise to £38,700 a year.

However, health and care workers – who represent nearly half of people on work visas – will be exempt from the increase.

People on national pay scales, such as teachers, will also be exempt.

The Migration Observatory says the main impact is likely to be on middle-skilled jobs such as butchers or chefs, where wages tend to be less than £30,000.

The minimum income requirement for British citizens who want to bring a family member or foreign partner to live with them in the UK has risen from £18,600 to £38,700 per year.

Because the change affects people on lower incomes, it will have a greater impact on groups that tend to earn less income, such as women, young people and those living outside London and the south-east of England.

Overseas care workers will not be able to bring their partner or children with them to the UK.

Home Office data suggests that health and care workers are more likely to be joined by family members than people on other work visas.

In the year to September, more than 101,000 visas were issued to care workers, with an estimated 120,000 visas granted to associated dependents.

Care companies are concerned that the ban on dependents will prevent potential staff from coming to the UK, making staff shortages worse.

But the government says it believes there will still be high demand from foreign workers for care roles in the UK, even if people cannot bring family members with them.

Jobs currently on A List of shortage occupations 80% of the regular price can be paid to qualify for a skilled worker visa.

The list covers a wide range of sectors including health, education, care work and construction, and is designed to make it easier for employers to fill vacancies where there is a shortage of workers in the UK.

The government says it wants to stop immigration undercutting British workers and plans to scrap the 20% discount.

Annual fee visa holders must pay to use the NHS – known as the Immigration Health Surcharge – and it will rise from £624 to £1,035.

There are some exceptionsFor example, health and care workers do not have to pay this fee, and there is a reduced rate for students and under-18s.

A postgraduate visa allows someone to stay in the country for at least two years after successfully completing a course in the UK.

The government has launched a review of this visa route to prevent so-called “abuse” of the system.

More than 98,000 postgraduate visas were granted in the year to June.

The changes, which will come into effect in January, will remove the right of international students to bring dependents unless they are on postgraduate research courses.

Students will also not be allowed to switch to work visas before completing their studies.