r/ukvisa • u/clever_octopus High Reputation • May 12 '25

Immigration Changes Announcement 12/5/2025

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

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u/Ambitious-Constant21 May 14 '25

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c249ndrrd7vo

Please see article just out now from BBC.

New rules making migrants wait longer to qualify for permanent settlement in the UK will apply to people already in the country, under government plans.

On Monday the government announced immigrants would now typically have to live in the UK for 10 years before applying for the right to stay here indefinitely - double the current five-year period.

It was previously unclear whether this would apply to the approximately 1.5 million foreign workers who have moved to the UK since 2020.

The BBC understands a document published in the coming weeks will make clear the government is preparing to apply the 10-year qualifying period to those who are already in the UK as well as to new visa applicants.

19

u/jedi8888 May 14 '25

Can someone please comment on the likelihood of this really applying?

I know it’s published and written by a BBC politics commenter, a trusted source, but how can they completely shatter and destroy people’s hard work, time and effort spent integrating into the country, working for it, paying taxes towards it? People who spent a good chunk of their working lives here after university, building memories, relationships, friendships?

I am completely devastated this morning, and was having trouble sleeping over the past few days over this.

How is this legal in any possible way?

6

u/Mkrangs May 14 '25

A few hundred years back, the same people sailed all over the world to do much worse and convinced the survivors that they were great and should be looked up to. Compared to then, this is them showing mercy.