Do you know about UK’s new visa rules? The United Kingdom has unveiled significant adjustments to its visa regulations, with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak branding the record-breaking 745,000 arrivals in 2022 as “excessively high.”
These alterations encompass a 50% elevation in the minimum salary prerequisite for visa applicants, skyrocketing from £26,200 to £38,700.
Effective April 11, individuals aspiring to work in the UK will still need to navigate the points-based system (PBS) but will necessitate a job offer featuring a heightened salary.
UK’s new visa rules
Exemptions and Threshold Amendments:
Certain professions like health and social care, along with teachers on national pay scales, are spared from this new income threshold.
Nonetheless, overseas care workers are precluded from bringing family dependents with them, accentuating the policy’s targeted nature.
Revamped Criteria for Family Visas:
For individuals seeking a family visa to reside with a UK-based relative for over six months, meeting a heightened minimum income threshold of £29,000, compared to the previous £18,600, is now mandatory.
Additionally, proficiency in English is a requisite condition.
Anticipated Future Adjustments:
Prime Minister Sunak has hinted at the likelihood of a further income threshold increase for family visas early in 2025, foreshadowing a more stringent regulatory landscape.
Navigating the Shortage Occupation List:
To facilitate the fulfillment of vital sectoral vacancies with lower salary thresholds, the “shortage occupation list” has been instrumental.
Notable professions on this list include health and care workers, pharmacists, graphic designers, construction workers, and veterinarians.
Also read: UK PM Rishi Sunak condemns Antisemitism amid Elon Musk controversy
The previous rule allowing employers to remunerate foreign workers at 80% of the standard “going rate” for specific roles has been abolished, and the number of occupations on this list is undergoing reduction.
Revised Protocols for Student Visas:
Between September 2022 and September 2023, the UK dispensed 486,107 study visas, with half of these allocated to nationals from India, China, Nigeria, Pakistan, and the United States.
Postgraduate students can seek visas for dependents, albeit this is now confined to designated research programs effective January 2024.
Graduates can extend their stay in the UK for up to two years, or three years for doctoral degree holders, through a graduate visa following completion of their studies.
