UK tightens visa rules with new English test, higher fees

The UK government announces tougher visa rules, including a Secure English Language Test for skilled workers, reduced Graduate Route period for students, higher maintenance and employer charges, and expanded high-skilled visa quotas, to manage immigration and strengthen workforce integration

London: The UK government on Tuesday tabled tougher new English language test requirements on visa applicants, including from India, in Parliament as part of a wider crackdown on soaring levels of immigration into the country.

The new ‘Secure English Language Test’ will be conducted by a Home Office-approved provider, with the results to be verified as part of a subsequent visa application process for all skilled workers from January 8, 2026.

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An applicant’s standard of speaking, listening, reading and writing English must be equivalent to A-Level or Class 12, referred to as level B2, which the Home Office believes will ensure applicants are “better able to integrate into life in the UK”.

“This country has always welcomed those who come to this country and contribute, but it is unacceptable for migrants to come here without learning our language, unable to contribute to our national life,” said UK Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood.

“If you come to this country, you must learn our language and play your part,” she said.

Laid out as part of a written ministerial statement (WMS) in the House of Commons this week, the measures form part of the British government’s ‘Immigration White Paper’ from May, designed to tighten the visa regime.

Among the other changes in law, the time for international students to find a graduate-level job after completing their studies under the Graduate Route visa, popular among Indian students, will be cut to 18 months from the current two years from January 1, 2027. However, PhD-level graduates will continue to be eligible for three years of permission as part of an announcement made earlier this year.

“This change is informed by data showing that too many graduates are not progressing into graduate-level employment, which the Graduate Route was created to facilitate access to. It is intended to ensure that those who remain in the UK transition into graduate-level jobs and properly contribute to the UK economy,” reads the parliamentary statement from Home Office Minister Mike Tapp.

Finance requirements for student visas will also be increased for the 2025-2026 academic year, meaning foreign students will have to demonstrate they have sufficient funds to support themselves. The current requirement of having maintenance funds of 1,483 pounds per month will be raised to 1,529 pounds for London and to 1,171 pounds per month (up from 1,136 pounds) for the rest of the UK.

The Immigration Skills Charge (ISC), effectively a tax paid by UK employers sponsoring skilled foreign workers and intended to be reinvested in training the domestic workforce, will be raised by 32 per cent. It means small or charitable organisations must pay 480 pounds per person, per year (up from 364 pounds) and medium and large organisations forking out 1,320 pounds (up from 1,000 pounds).

“The ISC increase is the first since 2017 and will be used to boost investment in British workers and reduce reliance on overseas recruitment. The parliamentary process to increase the charge will begin later this week,” the Home Office said.

Other Home Office changes tabled this week cover doubling the number of universities whose graduates can use the High Potential Individual (HPI) route and capping the number of places that are available under this high-skilled visa route at 8,000 per year.

The number of people coming to the UK through the HPI route is expected to double from 2,000 to 4,000, giving graduates from the world’s best universities the chance to base their careers in the UK, the Home Office said.

It said the aim was to double the number of highly skilled people coming to the UK on high-skilled routes, including the top researchers, designers, and creatives working in film and TV, with further changes planned for the Global Talent route next year.

“The world’s most talented entrepreneurs studying in the UK will also be able to seamlessly establish innovative business ventures in the UK after concluding their studies, while transitioning from a student visa to the Innovator Founder route,” the Home Office said.

Additionally, it was announced that all nationals of Botswana will now be required to obtain a visa before travelling to the UK, including for short visits. The move is in response to a high number of nationals from the southern African country arriving since 2022 as visitors and subsequently claiming asylum in a “misuse of the UK’s immigration system”.