UK to apply visa break to student applicants in new immigration rules shift

The UK government will launch a visa break later this month, which will suspend applications for student visas and skilled worker visas from some countries.

Under the terms of the break student vias applications from nationals of Afghanistan, Cameroon, Myanmar and Sudan would be refused after 26 March, while skilled work visa applications would also be refused for Afghani nationals from that date.

Applications made before that point would still be considered, and the move was not designed to be permanent with regular reviews intended, the government confirmed.

Shara Pledger, an immigration law expert with Pinsent Masons, said the break could have an impact on seats of learning in the UK.

“The changes to the skilled worker route are fairly modest, only impacting main applicants from Afghanistan and only where the application is for a first UK worker visa from outside the UK,” she explained. “However, the student changes are more significant, and will impact some institutions who currently recruit high numbers of students from the affected jurisdictions.”

Along with the visa break, the service supplier route for immigration is being revised as part of the new UK-India trade agreement, opening the door for 12 month stays for eligible Indian nationals, while the qualifying oversees employment period for seconded workers is being halved to six months.

This will increase flexibility for companies looking to bring workers to the UK who are on high-value contracts.

The new rules will also see an increase in the English language requirements for those seeking settlement in the UK – up from B1 to B2 – for a number of routes, including skilled worker, global talent, innovator founder and long residence path applications, although the changes will not be enabled until March 2027.

Immigration applications will also be able to reuse identity confirmation, limiting the need for applicants to attend a Visa and Citizenship Application Service centre for each new immigration application.

“The delay in changing the English language rules will be welcomed, as it gives applicants a good amount of time to prepare for more challenging levels of testing in future,” said Pledger.

“The move to allow more opportunities to re-use identity data is also good to see. Data can often be checked securely using software on mobile phones, and applicants will be pleased to avoid repeat visits to application centres.”