On 17 July 2023, a new Statement of Changes to the U.K. Immigration Rules was released with a number of changes including clarifications on restrictions to student visas, enhancements to the EU Settlement Scheme, and updates to the Shortage Occupation List. 1 The Statement of Changes amendments will be incorporated into the updated Immigration Rules on the specified implementation dates for the various changes.
The changes follow recent announcements about the impending visa and Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS) fee increases, the release of data by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) on 25 May 2023 indicating that net migration to the U.K. has increased by 606,000 in 2022 (which is an increase of 164,000 on 2021’s total),2 and announcements about restrictions to the Immigration Rules relating to international students.3 (For prior coverage, see GMS Flash Alerts 2023-144 (18 July 2023) and 2023-119 (9 June 2023).)
The changes reflect the pressure on the U.K. government to reduce net migration due to political demands, whilst addressing the mounting challenges relating to funding for public sector workers.