The Statement of Changes to the UK Immigration Rules, known as HC 1333, was laid before Parliament on 14 October 2025 and introduces numerous significant updates across several visa categories, with varying commencement dates.
The explanatory memorandum lists the main changes as being:
- Introduction of a visit visa requirement for nationals of Botswana
- Recognition of Palestine: changes to the visa national list
- German school groups travel: easing travel requirements for German school groups visiting the UK
- Change to the validity requirements in Appendix Temporary Permission to Stay for Victims of Human Trafficking or Slavery
- Introduction of dependants for Stateless people (amendments to Appendix Statelessness)
- Changes to English language requirements for economic migration routes
- High Potential Individual – targeted and capped expansion of eligibility
- Change to reduce the duration of stay under the Graduate route to 18 months
- Change to allow students to transition to the Innovator Founder route
- Change to replace Part 9: Grounds for Refusal, with Part Suitability
- Change to align Family and Private Life rules with the common suitability rules for refusal (amendments to Appendix FM, Appendix Private Life, Appendix Adult Dependant Relative and Appendix Settlement Family Life)
- Changes to Appendix Temporary Work – Seasonal Worker concerning the number of months a seasonal worker must be outside the UK before being permitted to apply for a new seasonal work visa
- Changes to the Ukraine Permission Extension Scheme to maintain safeguarding measures.
Key immigration policy changes and their impact
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Higher English Language Requirement for Work Routes
- From 8 January 2026, the required English proficiency level for new applicants on the Skilled Worker, High Potential Individual (HPI), and Scale-up routes will increase from CEFR Level B1 to B2 (an upper-intermediate level, roughly equivalent to an A-level in English).
- Those extending their stay on the same route will generally remain subject to the previous B1 requirement.
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Graduate Route Duration Reduced
- For applications submitted on or after 1 January 2027, the post-study work period for non-PhD graduates will be reduced from two years to 18 months.
- PhD graduates will continue to receive three years.
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Changes to the High Potential Individual (HPI) Route
- From 4 November 2025, the list of eligible international universities will expand, but a new annual cap of 8,000 applications will be introduced.
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Replacement of Grounds for Refusal
- From 11 November 2025, the longstanding Part 9: Grounds for Refusal is replaced by a new, consolidated “Part Suitability” framework, which standardises refusal criteria across most immigration routes, including family and private life applications. This reform simplifies decision-making, relocates paragraph 39E overstaying exceptions, and standardises terminology across all immigration routes.
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Introduction of a visit visa requirement for nationals of Botswana
- Nationals of Botswana now require a visit visa before travelling to the UK.
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Recognition of Palestine
- Palestine has been added to the visa national list.
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Seasonal Worker Route
- Seasonal workers are now limited to six months’ work within any rolling 10-month period (previously 12 months).
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Immigration Skills Charge
The Statement of Changes HC 1333 itself does not contain the increase to the Immigration Skills Charge (ISC), but it was announced as a related policy change to rise by 32% (from £1,000 to £1,320 per worker per year for large/medium sponsors). This will be implemented via separate legislation.
