UK net migration figures fall in wake of tougher immigration policies

Shara Pledger and Alex Wright of Pinsent Masons were commenting following the release of new data published by the ONS revealing that long-term net migration to the UK fell to 204,000 in the year to June 2025.

This figure, which was around two-thirds lower than a year earlier, was published in the ONS’s latest statistical release on 27 November. This is almost 70% less than the 650,000 recorded in June 2024 and almost 80% less than the peak of nearly 944,000 that was recorded in the 12 months to March 2023.

The decrease in net migration figures has been mainly attributed to significant changes affecting foreign students and skilled worker routes for immigrants and is “the clearest example yet” of the breadth and depth of increasingly strict immigration policies implemented by the government over the past two years aimed at curbing lower skilled migration, according to Pledger, an immigration specialist at Pinsent Masons.

Skill and salary level requirements significantly increased for those seeking work in the UK following the introduction of restrictions on postgraduate students bringing dependants to the UK. Care workers have also been restricted from bringing family members to the UK since March 2024. Aside from certain Masters research students, overseas students have been prohibited from bringing dependants with them to the UK since January 2024.

In July 2025, the government also increased both salary and skills requirements and limited eligible roles, predominantly for skilled worker visas. These changes increased visa fees and associated costs, affecting both junior staff and experienced workers. This included a significant increase in February 2024 to the annual health surcharge – the fee that grants foreign workers access to NHS services – from £624 to £1,035 per adult. A reduced rate for children and students was also increased from £470 to £776 per person.

Further changes to the current settlement rules for migrants announced in September are also likely to further reduce the net migration rate, said Pledger. These include an increase in English language test levels from 8 January 2026 for skilled workers and an increase in the annual cost for immigration skills charges from £1,000 to £1,320 from 16 December. The duration of graduate visas will also be reduced from 24 to 18 months from January 2027.

Pledger said the question remains whether the UK's focus on a limited, high-skilled workforce will meet the needs of the country’s labour market and the wider economy.

Separately, earlier this month the government announced that it would double the permanent settlement qualifying period for migrants to 10 years, with reductions for those making “a strong contribution to British life”. The changes are expected to affect almost two million migrants who have come to the UK since 2021.

The government has launched a consultation on how the current settlement system should be reformed and how such reforms should be implemented, including inviting views on whether “transitional arrangements” should be put in place to exempt some people already residing in the UK. The consultation closes on 26 February 2026.