The UK Government has recently announced some changes to the Immigration Rules through the statement of changes dated 12 March 2025. Below, we will explain the key changes for employers to be aware of, particularly for licenced sponsors from within the care sector.
Changes for Skilled Workers
The statement of changes made some key changes to the Skilled Worker route.
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Care sector sponsors
From 9 April, care sector sponsors in England must demonstrate that they have attempted in the first instance to recruit a worker from within England who needs new sponsorship before looking to recruit a new worker from overseas. Based on these new requirements, care sector sponsors must ensure they factor this into their recruitment practices, which is likely to result in delays in filling positions.
The aim of this new policy is to tackle the exploitation of sponsored care workers which has been well documented in recent years. The care sector has experienced a large increase in compliance visits, which has resulted in many care providers losing their sponsorship licences for non-compliance with the rules around immigration. This has left many sponsored workers in the care sector without work, and where they’re unable to secure new employment with a new sponsor within 60 days of sponsorship ending, they face having to return overseas.
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Minimum salary increases
By referencing the latest figures from the latest Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE) data, changes are also being made to increase the minimum salary floor for work visas from £23,200 per year to £25,000 per year to ensure that minimum salary requirements for UK visas are in line with the latest pay for UK workers more generally. This increase is also being applied to those within the healthcare and education sectors.
Trinidad and Tobago added to the visa national list for Visitors
Nationals of countries on the current visa national list must apply for a visa before they travel to the UK. The Government regularly updates this list, and, on 12 March 2025, it updated the list to include Trinidad and Tobago.
If employees are Trinidad and Tobago nationals and need to visit the UK, they will now need to apply for a Standard Visitor visa before they travel to the UK. Please note, this change does not apply to those who are already in the UK on a Standard Visitor visa or those who hold confirmed bookings made on or before 3pm on 12 March 2025 where they are due to arrive in the UK by no later than 23 April 2025.
Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) scheme
The ETA scheme was launched in October 2023 and is the UK’s version of the US ESTA. Once fully phased-in, the ETA scheme will require all visa-exempt travellers (non-visa nationals) to apply under the scheme.
The statement of changes confirms that British National (Overseas) are being removed from the list of nationalities requiring an ETA prior to travel to the UK.
In light of the above-mentioned changes to the visa national list for Visitors, Trinidad and Tobago will be removed from the current list of countries that require an ETA to travel to the UK.
It would be a good idea for businesses to ensure that those who do travel frequently for business purposes are aware of the scheme to minimise any risk of disruption to travel plans.
Other minor changes
There have also been several other minor changes, including to the Global Talent, Child Student and Youth Mobility Scheme routes and visas under Appendix FM (family routes).
Final thoughts
While the changes in the care sector and for Trinidad and Tobago nationals are quite specific in terms of who’s impacted, the ETA and minimum salary increases will have a wide-reaching impact on all those who employ talent from abroad, so employers should take time to understand the changes and act accordingly.