UK Immigration Law In 2024: What You Need To Know

Summary

This year, there will be several changes to immigration law in the UK. Through these changes, the government aims to reduce net migration and stop abuse of the system while making short-term immigration easier with several new and improved technologies. As we know, immigration has been a hot topic in Parliament lately. Recent ONS figures showed that net migration up to June 2023 reached 672,000 people, and was deemed as “far too high” by the Minister of State. This ongoing issue was only highlighted by Rishi Sunak’s win in December of the Rwanda Deportation Bill. Currently, both the Conservative and Labour parties generally agree on immigration themes, which can often be a rarity, so these policies are likely to continue even if the government changes and the next general election. However, detailed Labour policies are still unknown. In this article, we cover everything you need to know about the main expected changes to immigration law including the illegal working civil penalty increases; restrictions on certain routes; any procedures being phased out; and what it means for international students. When an employer unintentionally hires someone without the necessary permission to.

Key information

• If you don’t have to pay and are exempt from the charge, there's no rush to apply.
• If you are a sponsored worker, you need to check if you have the right paperwork to apply, which would be a sponsorship certificate.
• The sponsored job should start within three months after the date of application.
• Consider how the application timing aligns with when the permission expires and future settlement plans.
• Andorra and Uruguay will be joining the scheme from January 31st.
• Make sure you understand the changes in visitor activities to avoid sanctions for employing illegal workers
• Explore opportunities under the expanded Youth Mobility Scheme, which offers unrestricted work conditions
• Stay informed about potential reforms in the Graduate route and Seasonal Worker route based on reviews.
• This year, there will be several changes to immigration law in the UK. Through these changes, the government aims to reduce net migration and stop abuse of the system while making short-term immigration easier with several new and improved technologies.
• As we know, immigration has been a hot topic in Parliament lately. Recent ONS figures showed that net migration up to June 2023 reached 672,000 people, and was deemed as “far too high” by the Minister of State. This ongoing issue was only highlighted by Rishi Sunak’s win in December of the Rwanda Deportation Bill.
• Currently, both the Conservative and Labour parties generally agree on immigration themes, which can often be a rarity, so these policies are likely to continue even if the government changes and the next general election. However, detailed Labour policies are still unknown.
• In this article, we cover everything you need to know about the main expected changes to immigration law including the illegal working civil penalty increases; restrictions on certain routes; any procedures being phased out; and what it means for international students.

Practical guidance

• Source: UK Immigration Law In 2024: What You Need To Know

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