UK visa overhaul from July 15: Indians brace for tougher skilled worker, settlement rules

From stricter visa requirements to a digital-only future for immigrants’ documents, the UK’s immigration system is set for significant upheaval soon. Beginning July 15, 2025, eVisas will replace physical visa stickers, marking just one piece of a sweeping overhaul that aims to tighten migration and push employers toward hiring more local talent.

The changes stem from reforms already underway and new proposals laid out in the government’s May 2025 white paper, Restoring control over the immigration system. Together, they signal profound consequences for migrants, employers, and the broader UK economy.

E-Visas Arrive on July 15, 2025

One of the biggest shifts arriving this summer is the transition to eVisas. From July 15, 2025, physical visa stickers will disappear, replaced by secure online records linked to travelers' passport numbers. This digital transformation is designed to streamline border control and reduce paperwork.

Skilled Worker Visa Faces Tightened Rules

Simultaneously, the Skilled Worker visa route is undergoing some of its toughest reforms in years.

“The UK will raise the skill threshold for the Skilled Worker visa, removing 111 eligible occupations. A higher general salary threshold of £41,700 will apply to new Skilled Worker visa applications from April 2024. Employers will face stricter limits when recruiting for roles below degree level through a targeted immigration salary list. A workforce strategy will be required from employers to justify recruitment of overseas talent for medium-skilled roles,” the UK government has confirmed.

The government’s white paper further explained that jobs assessed as medium-skilled—those at RQF levels 3-5—“will not be sponsorable unless the Migration Advisory Committee recommends an exemption and the industry is demonstrating efforts to recruit domestically.”

Social Care Route Set to Close

A particularly impactful change targets the care sector, long dependent on overseas talent. The social care worker visa route will officially close on July 22, 2025.

“Employers will no longer be allowed to recruit them from abroad,” the white paper declared. However, the government clarified: “Applicants already sponsored in the care sector before July 22, 2025, will not be affected by the route closure.”

Path to Settlement to Lengthen

Beyond visas themselves, the government plans to make settling in the UK more difficult for migrants.

“The standard qualifying period for permanent residence will be increased under the government’s proposals. The default will be settlement after ten years, rather than five years at present, but some people will be able to qualify earlier,” the white paper states.

This “earned settlement” system would reward those who have made “Points-Based contributions to the UK economy and society,” though details remain pending.

Pressed by MPs about whether the change would affect people already living in the UK, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said, “We will set out further details of the earned settlement and citizenship reforms later this year, and we will consult on them. There will be plenty of opportunity for people to comment on and consider the detail, but it is important that we extend the sense of contributions and the points-based system to those reforms as well.”

She added, “We want the settlement rules to be amended as swiftly as possible and to apply widely, but we will consult on the detail, and it is right that we do so.”

Other White Paper Proposals

The white paper also foreshadows further changes, including:

• A possible levy on English universities’ income from international student fees

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• Tougher compliance rules for universities sponsoring student visas

• Shortening the Graduate visa from two years to 18 months

• Stricter English language requirements, including for dependents

• A new Labour Market Evidence Group to guide future visa eligibility

While many of these changes don’t have a set timetable, some, like the Skilled Worker visa restrictions and social care visa closure, are already locked in for summer 2025.