The British Labour government, led by Prime Minister Keir Starmer, announced a comprehensive immigration reform plan on May 12, 2025, aimed at significantly reducing immigration levels as concern over rising far-right sentiments grows in the United Kingdom.

Prime Minister Starmer addressed the press prior to an official presentation by Home Secretary Yvette Cooper in Parliament, emphasizing the need for a more controlled, selective, and fair immigration system.

The announcement comes in the wake of strikingly high net immigration figures, reaching 728,000 between June 2023 and June 2024, and nearly one million in the preceding year.

Starmer indicated that he would implement stricter measures across all areas of the immigration system, including work visas, family reunification permits, and educational visas.

Starmer's remarks highlighted a pressing national issue, particularly after the recent local election successes of Nigel Farage's anti-immigration party, Reform UK, indicating a growing public appetite for more stringent immigration policies.

The Labour government reported that, under its plan, achieving permanent residency will become more challenging.

Currently, applicants can attain this status after five years of residence; the new legislation proposes extending this period to ten years.

Certain professionals, including nurses, doctors, engineers, and artificial intelligence leaders, would be eligible to apply earlier.

Under revised regulations, adult dependents of visa holders will be required to demonstrate sufficient English proficiency to join family members in the UK, aiming to limit the number of family visas issued.

The plan also involves tightening work visa requirements, a major pathway for foreign residents, with 369,000 arriving on such visas in 2024. Home Secretary Yvette Cooper projected that the new restrictions could lower the number of low-skilled worker arrivals by up to 50,000 annually.

This aligns with Starmer's assertion that previous immigration policies have incentivized the hiring of lower-paid foreign labor instead of investing in local youth.

In a significant shift, candidates for skilled work visas must now possess qualifications equivalent to a French bachelor's degree, although exceptions may apply in sectors facing labor shortages.

Employers seeking to recruit overseas will be mandated to invest in training British workers.

Additionally, care sector employers, who often rely heavily on foreign labor, will no longer have the ability to recruit from abroad directly.

Last week, the government also signaled intent to restrict work and student visas for nationals from countries such as Pakistan, Nigeria, and Sri Lanka—all identified as having high rates of asylum applications.

In addition to curbing legal immigration, the government aims to expedite the expulsion of foreign nationals convicted of crimes, a process currently limited to those sentenced to over one year in jail.

The administration faces increasing pressure to manage illegal immigration, particularly addressing the crossings of the English Channel, which saw 36,800 arrivals by small boats last year, and over 11,000 since the beginning of 2025.