United Kingdom | Effective dates announced for new foreign worker visa wage thresholds

The Home Office announced dates for when new minimum wage thresholds for foreign worker visas will come into force.

Key Points:

• As BAL previously reported, the Home Office announced a plan to cut net migration by 300,000 people in December by reducing the number of dependents coming to the United Kingdom and increasing the minimum salaries required for overseas workers and family visa applications.
• The Home Office announced when these measures will be implemented:
  • Certain reforms to restrict care workers from bringing family members will come into force on March 11.
  • Beginning April 4, the minimum general salary threshold required for those arriving on a skilled worker visa will increase from £26,200 to £38,700 (about US$48,700). The going rates for each role will also increase.
  • The minimum income threshold for those bringing dependents on family visas will increase in stages beginning on April 11. From this date, applicants will need to earn at least £29,000 annually to bring a family member from abroad, an increase from £18,600.

Additional Information: The U.K. government stated that applications submitted before these deadlines will be assessed under the existing guidelines. The new threshold will start at £29,000 for minimum income on family visas and increase later in 2024 to around £34,500 and then to around £38,700 “by early 2025.”

BAL Analysis: The measures represent significant changes to the U.K.’s immigration system and are designed to reduce the number of migrants coming to the country. BAL will continue following the implementation of these measures and will provide updates as information becomes available.

This alert has been provided by the BAL Global Practice Group.

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