The Spring Immigration Rules statement includes a revision to payment requirements for Skilled Workers and liberalised work rights for asylum seekers. Implementation of the proposed earned settlement model has not been included.
The Home Office has today (5 March 2026) published updates to the Immigration Rules. Key changes include:
Increasing the English language requirement for settlement to Level B2 on the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (upper intermediate) from Level B1 (intermediate) for settlement applications made on or after 26 March 2027 – giving intending applicants a year to improve their proficiency if needed;
Changing Skilled Worker salary requirements so that a worker must be paid the required salary stated on their Certificate of Sponsorship in each pay period, subject to variations permitted under the Immigration Rules – this is to support worker welfare and ensure concerns about underpayment can be addressed by the Home Office swiftly. Clarification may be required from the Home Office, as this appears to apply to applications submitted with a Certificate of Sponsorship assigned on or after 8 April 2026;
Allowing asylum seekers to seek work in occupations eligible for sponsorship under the Skilled Worker route, i.e. in eligible roles skilled at Level 6 on the Regulated Qualifications Framework (graduate level) or above, from 26 March 2026 onwards;
Refusing Skilled Worker entry clearance to citizens of Afghanistan, and Student entry clearance to citizens of Afghanistan, Cameroon, Myanmar and Sudan for applications made on or after 26 March 2026 – note that in-country applications for permission to stay are unaffected and that the arrangements must be reviewed on a 2-monthly basis;
Expanding the re-use of biometric data for in-country applicants, meaning that fewer applicants will need to re-enrol their biometrics at a Visa and Citizenship Application Service (VCAS) service point as part of their application, from 8 April 2026;
Imposing a visa requirement on citizens of Nicaragua and St Lucia from 15:00 today (5 March 2026), with a transition period for those who already have an ETA, and a confirmed travel booking made before 15:00 today, for travel by 15:00 on 16 April 2026;
Extending the Ukraine Permission Extension Scheme for another 24 months and extending the application window from 28 days before existing permission expiry to 90 days – any existing permission will be added to the 24-month grant. These changes apply from 8 April 2026; and
Reducing the permission granted to adult and accompanied child refugees from 5 years to 30 months, with an active review pre-expiry. Unaccompanied children are unaffected and will continue to receive 5 years permission for the time-being. These changes apply from 26 March 2026 to an asylum claim (or further submissions made to an existing asylum claim) made on or after 2 March 2026, which means this change has retrospective effect.
We are analysing the new Immigration Rules in detail and will provide a separate summary shortly. Sign up to receive our alerts directly to your inbox. In the meantime, if you have any queries about these changes, please get in touch with a member of our Immigration Team.
