Mr. Starmer said his Government would “take back control”, using the rallying cry of those who championed Brexit (Britain’s departure from the E.U.) as a means to end the free movement of people across internal EU borders. File
| Photo Credit: Reuters
Warning that the U.K. was at risk of becoming an “island of strangers”, the country’s Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, announced a tightening up of migration policy on Monday (May 12, 2025), as his Labour Party released a White Paper on migration to be tabled in parliament.
The new rules, if enacted into law, would in some cases double the time to permanent residence from five to ten years, raise the English language standard for migrants and close the social care visa route. The rules will impact Indians living and working in the U.K., many of whom are on visas which are the focus of the White Paper.
“Every area of the immigration system — work, family, and study — will be tightened up so we have more control,’’ Mr. Starmer said, as he promised a “selective and fair” migration system.
Also read: How is the U.K. cracking down on immigration? | Explained
The White Paper said the Government would end the recruitment of overseas workers for social care jobs, keeping extensions of visas for individuals already here open until 2028 and permitting in-country switching for those already here. The Government also intends to increase the threshold for skilled-worker visas to the graduate level and tighten English language requirements for all migrants and their dependents. The proposal also suggested increasing the availability of visas for high-talent routes.
The announcement comes some two weeks after the nativist Reform U.K. party of Nigel Farage saw significant gains in local elections across England. The electoral verdict is being read, in part, as an indictment of the Conservative and Labour parties on the cost and standard of living as well as migration.
Mr. Starmer said his Government would “take back control”, using the rallying cry of those who championed Brexit (Britain’s departure from the E.U.) as a means to end the free movement of people across internal EU borders.
“Because what followed from the previous Government, starting with the people who used that slogan, was the complete opposite between 2019 and 2023,” Mr. Starmer said, referring to record-high immigration under the former Conservative Government. Net migration was over 906,000 in the year ending June 2023, some four times the level it was in June 2019. Mr. Starmer committed on Monday (May 12, 2025) to “significantly” lowering the numbers by the next election (2029) but did not provide a specific target.
Mr. Starmer also denied that the immigration controls were a political strategy.
“People who like politics will try to make this all about politics,” he said.
“When will Keir Starmer learn that no matter how good his Nigel Farage impression gets, it won’t save him from wipeout at the hands of Reform?” Green Party co-founder Carla Denyer said on X.
“This is a crushing blow to an already fragile sector. The Government is kicking us while we’re already down,” said Martin Green, Chief Executive of industry body Care England, in a statement in which he accused the Government of sacrificing social care for political points.
Published – May 12, 2025 06:08 pm IST
