On March 5, 2026, the Home Office published the Statement of Changes to the Immigration Rules. This contains a significant number of changes across a range of immigration categories, with various minor technical and administrative amendments also being made across multiple immigration routes and appendices. The changes include amongst others: introduction of a “visa brake”; additions to the visa national list; pause in the issuance of Skilled Worker visas to nationals of Afghanistan; addition of a new design endorsement category to the Global Talent route; reduction of the Global Business Mobility (GBM) overseas employment requirement; updates to English language requirements for settlement applications; and reduction in the duration of refugee and humanitarian protection from 5 years to 30 months. Changes to the visa national list took effect from March 5, 2026, with the remainder of the changes taking effect on various dates until March 26, 2027.
The changes aim to strike a balance between reaffirming the UK government’s commitment to tightening the immigration system to address abuse, whilst broadening access to targeted groups across certain immigration categories. In her statement outlining the migration reforms, the Home Secretary, Shabana Mahmood stated that the instigator for the visa brake was to protect border security, whilst reiterating that changes to the English language requirements for settlement applications were aligned to the government’s plans as set out in the White Paper “Restoring Control over the Immigration System” published in May 2025.
Briefly, some of the key changes include the following:
- Effective March 26, a temporary “visa brake” will be introduced and sponsored student visas will not be issued for nationals of Afghanistan, Cameroon, Myanmar, and Sudan. Further, Skilled Worker visas will not be issued to Afghan nationals – this does not affect applicants applying to extend or switch into this route within the UK.
- New visit visa requirements for nationals of Nicaragua and St Lucia became effective from March 5. As nationals of these countries have been added to the visa national list and removed from the Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) national list, they will need to obtain a visa before travelling to the UK. Transitional measures are in place for individuals who submitted their ETA applications before 1500 (local time) on March 5, 2026, whereby they can still travel until April 2026.
- The Global Talent category will be broadened from April 8 to include a design endorsement pathway. The academic fast-track criteria have also been clarified.
- Changes will be implemented to the GBM route:
- The qualifying overseas employment requirement that applies to the GBM Secondment Worker visa route will be reduced from 12 to 6 months, effective April 8.
- The Service Supplier route will be enhanced and effective March 26, under the UK-India Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement commitments, Indian nationals will be eligible for the GBM Service Supplier route, whereby they will be eligible for up to 12 months’ leave.
- Skilled Workers will need to be paid the required salary in each pay period, subject to variations already permitted in the Immigration Rules to ensure that UK Visas & Immigration (UKVI) does not need to wait until a full year of salary has been paid to act where there are concerns relating to underpayment.
- Updates to English language requirements for settlement applications mean that effective March 26, 2027, the English language requirement will be increased from B1 Level to B2 Level under the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) across multiple immigration routes.
- The Ukraine Permission Extension (UPE) Scheme will be extended for a further 24 months for eligible applicants with longer application windows also being introduced from April 8.
- There will be a reduction in the duration of refugee and humanitarian protection from 5 years to 30 months. There will also be reforms to the appeals process for failed asylum seekers, including new rules for further submissions and implicit withdrawals.
Recommended Actions
- Communication and engagement with key stakeholders and impacted individuals are imperative to manage business and individual expectations, whilst ensuring business continuity and contingency planning.
- Internal policies and procedures should be reviewed and updated to reflect the changes particularly where they relate to salary compliance, business travel guidance, GBM routes, and recruitment.
- An impact assessment may be necessary to determine if the visa brake and/or the UPE will have immediate or future impact on workforce planning.
It is recommended that employers and affected individuals consult with UK specialist immigration counsel for further guidance on the impact of the changes.
If you have any questions or would like to discuss further, please reach out to your Account Manager or email us at [email protected].
This immigration update is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for legal or scenario-specific advice. Furthermore, it is important to note that immigration announcements are subject to sudden and unexpected changes. Readers are encouraged to reach out to Newland Chase for any case- or company-specific assessments
