PM Keir Starmer Tightens UK Immigration Rules With Stricter Visa Measures

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has unveiled a new set of UK Immigration Rules aimed at significantly reducing net migration over the next four years.

The government hopes these stricter policies will help bring migration numbers under control and shift focus back to hiring and training UK workers.

While Starmer did not provide an exact target, the Home Office believes the changes could reduce immigration by around 100,000 people each year by 2029. This estimate is based on eight key policy changes where numbers could be measured.

One of the biggest moves is a planned ban on hiring care workers from abroad under the current visa scheme introduced by the previous Conservative government. Instead, UK companies will have to hire local talent or renew existing foreign workers’ visas. This change alone could cut between 7,000 to 8,000 incoming workers per year.

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The new UK Immigration Rules will also:

• Tighten the skilled worker visa process, requiring applicants to hold degree-level qualifications instead of A-level equivalents.
• Raise English language standards for all work visa applicants.
• Increase the time migrants must live in the UK before applying for permanent residency from five to ten years.
• Boost the Immigration Skills Charge by 32%, making it more expensive for businesses to hire overseas staff—up to £6,600 for large employers and £2,400 for smaller ones.
• Introduce possible extra fees for universities enrolling international students, with the revenue directed toward UK-based skills training.
• Enforce stricter rules on colleges, requiring at least 95% of international students to begin their courses and 90% to complete them.
• Limit family migration under Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights, which protects the right to family life, by applying a stricter interpretation.

Starmer made it clear that the immigration system would be more “selective and fair,” saying, “Every area of the immigration system, including work, family and study, will be tightened up so we have more control. Enforcement will be tougher than ever and migration numbers will fall.”

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The prime minister rejected claims that these policies were introduced due to political pressure from Reform UK or rising support for stricter immigration among voters.

He said the goal is to fix a system that had become too loose under previous governments and that the new UK Immigration Rules would restore order.

“I’m doing this because it is right, because it is fair and because it is what I believe in,” Starmer said. “We can’t become an island of strangers. We need strong immigration rules and better integration.”

Still, reactions have been mixed. Conservative MP Kemi Badenoch criticized the changes, calling them “too little, too late” and merely a watered-down version of earlier Tory plans.

Meanwhile, Reform UK leader Nigel Farage said the new rules were “a panic move” and would only slightly lower immigration numbers that are still “at historic highs.”

The Liberal Democrats and the Green Party also voiced concern. While Lib Dems support better immigration control, they say the government needs a clear plan to help UK businesses train and hire local workers. The Green Party called the reforms a “headline-grabbing move” designed to appeal to Reform UK voters.

On the other hand, some Labour MPs argue the measures go too far. MP Nadia Whittome accused Starmer of echoing far-right language, saying the government’s tone on migration is both harmful and unnecessary.

Despite the criticism, Starmer insisted the UK needs a balanced approach. “It’s not about slamming the door on the world,” he said, “but about making sure our system works for the country, our economy, and our communities.”

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