Following are some of the main immigration rules changes for visa applications made on or after 04 April 2024. Some changes will come into effect later, please read on for more information.

We will update relevant webpages after the new immigration rules come into force, from 04 April 2024 onwards.

Changes from 4 April 2024

1, Changes to the Skilled Worker (SW) route

• General salary requirements raised from GBP £26,200 to £38,700. This is an increase from the 25th to 50th percentile (median) of eligible SW occupations as already announced by the government.
• However, the Home Office has retained the current provision of Tradeable Point E (for new entrants). This is where students (or those holding a Graduate route visa) switching to a Skilled Worker visa would continue to be eligible for a lower salary requirement. It is set at 70% of the job ‘going rate’ or 80% of the minimum salary threshold (whichever is higher). This means the minimum salary requirements with the discount would be £30,960 (based on 37.5 working hours/week). For further information, refer to HC590 Statement of Changes (table 1 on page 79-190 contains a list of salary requirement for different jobs).

There are many other changes on Skilled Worker route which we have not listed as these are less relevant for students.

If you wish to check whether a job might be eligible for a Skilled Worker visa, you can use the following self-service tools to do this (be aware that the information displayed on these GOV web tools might not be updated until sometime after 4 April 2024).

• A fixed list: Skilled Worker visa: eligible occupations and codes - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

2, Supplementary employment on Skilled Worker visa

The new Skilled Worker provisions widen the range of supplementary employment that Skilled Workers can undertake. It includes any eligible role under Appendix Skilled Occupations (rather than the role needing to be in a shortage occupation or the same occupation as the main role).

This will be welcome news for many as it is currently very restrictive.

3, Student visa dependants

There will be a slight change of wording as regards which students can bring dependants to the UK. Currently, students can bring dependants if they are in receipt of an award from the government and the course is full-time, at least 6 months long. The term award is being replaced with those who have received ‘scholarship or sponsorship’.

4, English Language

For decisions made on or after 04 April 2024, International GCSE (IGCSE) in English (language or literature) will be accepted as evidence of English language. The award of an IGCSE will need to follow education at a UK school, and that education must have begun while you were aged under 18.

5, Changes to Appendix Finance – financial requirements

Where the Home Office can’t use OANDA to convert currency to British pounds (such as for Syrian Pound/ Iranian Rials), they will use the FCDO consular rates of exchange for the date of application.

6, Asylum seekers permission to work

Those with permission to work can only work in roles on the new Immigration Salary list (Currently asylum seekers can work in any jobs listed in the Shortage Occupation List).

7, Exceptions to overstaying in the UK

Exceptional Assurance is added to the immigration rules. There will be an exception to Overstaying between 01/09/2020 and 28/02/2023 where a person had written notice by Home Office saying they would not be considered an overstayer during this period. It is important to note however that all periods of overstay must always be declared in an immigration application, regardless of whether it is covered by the exceptions or not.

Review of Graduate route visa

The Home Secretary commissioned the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) to carry out a review of the Graduate Route visa on 11 March. A report is expected by 14th May. The Government will then consider the MAC’s analysis with a view to implementing any changes in due course.

Representing its members (including Warwick), UKCISA published a response calling for the Home Secretary to give the MAC the time to conduct a full and comprehensive review of this critical immigration route, enabling adequate consultation with the UK higher education sector and employer representatives.  

From 06 June 2024

Definition of 'parent' changing in the immigration rules

Parents can only be biological parent, legal parent and adoptive parent; step-parents will be removed.

Step-Parent would only be accepted if they can demonstrate parental responsibility.