Keir Starmer: UK government set to announce tough new immigration, visa restrictions
Australian’s wanting to live and work in the UK may find things a bit more difficult after the Starmer government imposed a raft of new immigration restrictions over the weekend.
For decades, Aussie expats looking to spend an extended stay in the ‘old dart’ while picking up some casual work to tide them over has been a favourite bucket list pastime, but that is about to become much harder under the new rules.
Interior minister Yvette Cooper has announced plans to restrict skilled worker visas to graduate-level applicants, prevent care sector firms from recruiting abroad and require businesses to increase training for local workers.
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By continuing you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy.“Every area of the immigration system, including work, family and study, will be tightened up so we have more control,” UK PM Keir Starmer added in a statement.
“Enforcement will be tougher than ever and migration numbers will fall.”
Mr Starmer said the new rules will toughen up Britain’s migration system and that most immigrants will have to wait longer before getting the status they need to claim welfare.
Automatic settlement and citizenship for people who move to Britain will now apply after 10 years, up from five years now, although highly skilled workers - such as nurses, doctors, engineers and AI experts - would be fast-tracked.
The complete plans for the new legislation are due to be released on Monday as Starmer tries to counteract the rise in popularity of Nigel Farage’s right-wing, anti-immigration Reform UK party.
The government also said it plans to raise English language requirements to include all adult dependents who will have to show a basic understanding of English.
It said the change would help integration and reduce the risks of exploitation.
“This is a clean break from the past and will ensure settlement in this country is a privilege that must be earned, not a right,” Starmer said.
“And when people come to our country, they should also commit to integration and to learning our language,” he said.
Net migration - the number of people coming to Britain minus the number leaving - hit a record 906,000 in the year to June 2023, up from 184,000 who arrived in the same period during 2019, when Britain was still in the EU.
