Yesterday the Government announced several updates to the Immigration Rules that will impact business immigration planning. These changes will come as no surprise as many of them were detailed in the Immigration White Paper on 12 May and which we wrote about here.

The key changes employers should be aware of include:

1. English Language Requirement Raised

From 8 January 2026, the minimum English language level for the Skilled Worker, Scale-up, and High Potential Individual routes will increase from CEFR Level B1 to B2. This change means applicants will need to demonstrate a higher level of fluency purportedly equivalent to A-level, which could affect recruitment timelines and candidate eligibility. As with the existing B1 requirement, this issue is usually assessed by trusted providers in the applicant’s home country and will usually take 2-4 weeks. The assessment covers oral and written English language skills (speaking, writing, listening and reading) but mercifully goes nowhere near the tortured linguistic analysis required by A-level English Literature. That this change will leave applicants requiring better written English skills than many of their UK colleagues is a view yet to be explored in full.

2. Graduate Route Duration Cut

Applications for the Graduate route submitted on or after 1 January 2027 will no longer be granted for 2 years. This will be reduced to 18 months for non-PhD graduates. However PhD graduates will continue to benefit from a 3-year visa. This...

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