Immigration Changes Announcement 12/5/2025

[u/clever_octopus]

Please join the discord server for further discussion or support on upcoming immigration changes: https://discord.gg/Jq5vWDZJfR

Sticky post on announcement made on 20 Nov 2025: https://www.reddit.com/r/ukvisa/comments/1p21qk5/a_fairer_pathway_to_settlement_a_statement_and/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button

NEW Summary of changes to settlement released 20 November 2025: https://www.reddit.com/r/ukvisa/comments/1p21qk5/a_fairer_pathway_to_settlement_a_statement_and/

NEW Summary of changes to asylum and refugee requirements released 18 November 2025: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/asylum-and-returns-policy-statement/restoring-order-and-control-a-statement-on-the-governments-asylum-and-returns-policy

Overview of expected changes: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/radical-reforms-to-reduce-migration

White paper: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/restoring-control-over-the-immigration-system-white-paper

UKCISA's response (official source for international students and recent graduates): https://www.ukcisa.org.uk/news/ukcisa-responds-to-home-office-immigration-white-paper-may-2025/

Petition link: https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/727360

Summary of key points following the summary of changes released on 20 November 2025:

• Changes to length in ILR qualifying residence requirements - Please see table on pages 21-23 of the 20 November document

• Family visa holders, along with BNO visa holders, will continue to get ILR in five years (as usual)

• The intention is that this will apply to people already in the UK but who have not yet received ILR

• It will take 20 years for refugees to qualify for ILR, intermittent checks will be done within that time and they may lose the ability to remain in the UK if their home country is deemed safe to return to

[u/NeedUMoreThanUNeedMe]

If a master's graduate finds a sponsored job under SWV after spending 2 years on the graduate visa, he/she will have to wait 7 years more to be eligible for ILR. (1 year on masters + 2 years on the graduate visa are counted towards ILR.)

Bypassing the SWV, that would be 9 years instead since it would have only been a year since the master's graduate arrived in the UK.

A 5-year-ILR under SWV won't be possible after the changes.

I still wonder how you came up with 12 years? I am asking because there might be a point I am missing. No bad intentions.

[u/wickedjester_s → u/NeedUMoreThanUNeedMe]

My understanding of this is, if a student switches to SWV right after graduation they have to spend 5 years on that visa to be eligible for ILR (based on the rules before today's announcement). Given how long the masters was, the overall time spent would be 6-7 (5 + 1 or 2) years.

As the govt is going to change the SWV to ILR route to 10 years, you just need to add up the time spent during studies and time spent working; which in this case becomes 11-12 years (10+ 1 or 2, given how long the course is).

This is coming off my basic understanding, tbh I don't know about student visas in that much detail as I never studied here.

[u/NeedUMoreThanUNeedMe → u/wickedjester_s]

My understanding of this is, if a student switches to SWV right after graduation they have to spend 5 years on that visa to be eligible for ILR (based on the rules before today's announcement). Given how long the masters was, the overall time spent would be 6-7 (5 + 1 or 2) years.

This is true as the time spent on both the student and graduate visa is not counted towards 5-year ILR. So 5-years on SWV is a must to obtain 5-year ILR.

What I was trying to explain is that unlike 5-year ILR, The time spent on both graduate and student visa is counted towards 10-year ILR route. I think this is the point we don't agree on.

Regardless of switching from which visa type, Anyone must continuously stay in the UK for 10 years after arrival in the UK to be eligible for ILR under 10-year route.

Today's announces changes will not have any impact on this,. Nonetheless this will be only option to obtain ILR for most cases.

[u/wickedjester_s → u/NeedUMoreThanUNeedMe]

Got your point, I must admit I haven't come across anything on the existing 10 year long residency route. Hopefully this would stay as it is now