The UK government has launched a major overhaul of its immigration system, introducing new rules that will take effect from July 22, 2025. The reforms, described as a “complete reset,” were announced in Parliament by Home Secretary Yvette Cooper on Wednesday.

The reforms are aimed at cutting migration and reducing reliance on low-paid foreign labour. One of the most significant changes is the closure of the overseas recruitment route for social care workers.

From July 22, new visa applications for care roles from outside the UK will no longer be accepted. However, care workers already in the country will be allowed to switch visa types internally until July 2028. The new system also increases both the salary and qualification thresholds for skilled worker visas. Going forward, most applicants will need at least a bachelor’s degree or its equivalent.

Those already residing and working in the UK under existing permits will be exempt from this rule. Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch has publicly advocated for significantly tougher immigration controls in the United Kingdom, encompassing both legal and illegal migration.

In a recent piece published in the Daily Mail UK, Badenoch articulated her stance, emphasising a need for “basic fairness” for British citizens.

“The issue of immigration is a simple one for the Conservative Party: we need to crack down on it in every form, both legal and illegal,” Badenoch wrote.

She argued that the current system appears to favour those who “jump the queue, who break the rules, who get into our country illegally but then denigrate our customs and our culture.”

Conversely, she stated, “those of us who work hard and do the right thing… are left footing the bill.” Badenoch highlighted the well-known expenditure on housing asylum seekers in hotels but drew particular attention to a lesser-known issue: the provision of “indefinite leave to remain” for low-paid immigrants and refugees after five years of residency.