UK immigration reforms: What you need to know about the new White paper 

The White Paper, unveiled on Monday, May 12, 2025, marks Starmer’s first major policy intervention on immigration since taking office, and is positioned as a corrective measure to what he calls a “broken system” left by the previous administration.

Speaking during the announcement, Starmer noted that the government is committed to significantly reducing immigration.

“Between 2019 and 2023, even as they were going around our country telling people with a straight face that they would get immigration down, net migration quadrupled until in 2023 it reached nearly one million. That’s about the population of Birmingham, our second-largest city.

“A one-nation experiment in open borders, conducted on a country that voted for control. Well, no more. 

“Today, this Labour government is shutting down the lab. The experiment is over. We will deliver what you’ve asked for, time and again, and we will take back control of our borders. 

“I’m doing this because it is right, because it is fair, and because it is what I believe in,” he stated

He also emphasised that the reforms are designed to be fair, balanced, and responsive to the economic needs of the UK.

“Migration is part of Britain’s national story. We talked last week about the great rebuilding of this country after the war. Migrants were part of that, and they make a massive contribution today, and you will never hear me denigrate that. 

“Equally, Britain must compete for the best talent in the world, in science, in technology, in healthcare. You can’t simply pull up a drawbridge, let anybody in, and think that’s an economy that would work. That would hurt the pay packets of working people without question,” he said.

Work visas: Skill thresholds will be raised to degree-level qualifications. Employers will be expected to prioritise investment in domestic skills over reliance on overseas labour.

Student visas: Starmer criticised institutions offering “one-year courses for overseas students” at the expense of local apprenticeships. The government intends to restrict low-value study programmes and shift focus back to local capacity building.

Family visas and dependents: English language requirements will now extend to dependents, part of a broader push for integration and commitment to British values.

Permanent residency: The waiting period for migrants to obtain permanent settlement (statal status) will be extended from five to ten years, a move expected to discourage short-term economic migration and encourage long-term assimilation.

The White Paper also outlines stronger enforcement mechanisms to ensure compliance with the new rules.

The White Paper also proposes that foreign hiring must be balanced with local workforce development.

The White Paper also proposes that foreign hiring must be balanced with local workforce development.

Businesses will be expected to invest in homegrown skills before gaining visa approvals to import labour.

Starmer outlined that this would become a “privilege that is earned”, not a guaranteed outcome.

“If a business wants to bring people in from abroad, they must first invest in Britain. But also, so that settlement becomes a privilege that is earned, not a right. 

“Easier if you make a contribution. If you work, pay in, and help rebuild our country. Now some people may even be against that. 

“But I think for the vast majority of people in this country, that is what they have long wanted to see. An immigration system that is fair, that works for our national interest, and that restores common sense and control to our borders. That is what this white paper will deliver,” he stated.

When pressed on why he refused to set a fixed immigration target, Starmer defended his approach as realistic and results-driven, pointing out that all past attempts to impose hard caps had failed.

“The only thing that links those prime ministers and the various caps or quotas or limits they put in place is every single one of them failed. 

“We want to significantly reduce migration… and if we need to go further, we will,” he said

The Prime Minister criticized certain sectors, such as engineering and education, for over-reliance on foreign labour and overseas students.

He pointed out a decline in local apprenticeship opportunities and the transformation of some colleges into institutions catering primarily to short-term international students.

“Is that fair to young people to see colleges in their community almost entirely dedicated to one-year courses for overseas students?” he asked. “No, I don’t think that it is.” 

Starmer also raised concerns about the growing mismatch between economic needs and immigration trends, noting a fall in skilled economic migrants and a rise in low-wage migration that exerts pressure on local wages and services.

Starmer clarifying that the focus is not just on numbers but on the quality and nature of migration.

The Prime Minister explained that the new White Paper goes beyond immigration control. It incorporates skills development and domestic training into national growth plans in area he believes has long been underfunded.

“One of the reasons we’ve had stagnant growth for years is because we’ve underinvested chronically in skills,” Starmer stated.

“By putting skills and growth into the same plan as migration, you actually answer the growth question as well.” 

Addressing concerns about the UK’s growing economically inactive population, currently estimated at 9 million, Starmer said the government would provide support and opportunities to get people back into work, particularly in sectors like care services, where there is a labour shortage.

Starmer emphasised the need to distinguish between those unable to work due to disability or other valid reasons, and those who simply need better support to return to the workforce.