The Home Office issued a statement of changes in Immigration Rules outlining key changes to the Skilled Worker route, as well as important updates to the electronic travel authorization (ETA) program and EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS).

Key Points:

  • The statement of changes amends the Immigration Rules, made under the provisions of the Immigration Act 1971, that are used to regulate people’s entry to, and stay in, the United Kingdom.
  • The changes being made include:
    • Introduction of a Visit Visa requirement:
      • Effective March 12, nationals of Trinidad and Tobago will no longer be eligible to apply for an ETA for travel to the U.K. and are now required to obtain a Direct Airside Transit Visa if they intend to transit via the U.K. having booked travel to another country.
    • ETA exemption:
      • British Nationals (Overseas) (BN(O)) and children aged 18 or under traveling in French school groups have been removed from the list of nationalities requiring an ETA for travel to the U.K. Holders of a BN(O) passport will be able to travel to or transit via the U.K. without requiring an ETA.
    • Changes relating to the EUSS:
      • Effective April 9, the administrative review of EUSS decisions and EUSS family permits will change. Specifically, among other changes, officials state that non-European Economic Area national applicants will be able to use a U.K.-issued biometric residence card or permit (which has expired by up to 18 months) as proof of their identity and nationality and will not be required to re-enroll their fingerprint biometrics where they use such a biometric residence card.
    • Changes to the Skilled Worker route:
      • New rules for care worker sponsorship and recruitment: Effective April 9, sponsors of care workers will be required to prove that they have first attempted to recruit from an existing pool of workers in country who are seeking new employment before seeking to sponsor new recruits from other immigration routes or from overseas.
      • Changes to the minimum salary for Skilled Worker visas: Also effective April 9, the minimum salary floor will be updated from £23,200 (about US$30,171) per year (or £11.90 per hour) to £25,000 per year (or £12.82 per hour).

Additional Information: In addition, the Home Office is making changes to the Ukraine Permission Extension Scheme, including eligibility expansion to children under 18 who were previously granted Leave Outside the Rules, aligning their status with their families as well as updating the quotas of Youth Mobility Scheme partner countries for 2025.

In their statement concerning the new rules prioritizing recruiting care workers, the government elaborated that the rules come as the government continues implementation of a series of measures to reduce the potential for abuse of visa routes and coincides with their plan to reduce the high levels of legal migration seen in recent years. The Home Office is expected to release an Immigration White Paper soon to set out in the government’s future border and immigration system core objectives. BAL will continue to monitor developments and will provide more information as it becomes available.

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

Copyright © 2025 Berry Appleman & Leiden LLP. All rights reserved. Reprinting or digital redistribution to the public is permitted only with the express written permission of Berry Appleman & Leiden LLP. For inquiries, please contact copyright@bal.com.