Big fall in migrant visa applications after rule changes

In 2021, the immigration rules for care workers had been relaxed to ease recruitment problems following Brexit.

Two years later, then-Home Secretary James Cleverly announced that the government would ban care workers from bringing family dependants to the UK, as part of efforts to reduce net migration numbers.

That came after a previously-announced ban on most overseas students bringing dependents with them.

The government also increased the minimum salary for skilled overseas workers wanting to come to the UK from £26,200 to £38,700.

To qualify as a skilled worker, applicants need to accrue 70 points under the points system introduced in 2020.

Points can be gained in different ways including by having a job offer in a sector with shortages or holding a PhD.

The Migration Observatory think tank said the Home Office’s most recent data did not demonstrate any “clear impact” from the higher salary threshold.