Migrants will have to earn more to qualify for UK work visa under proposed Conservative amendment to border bill
9 March 2025, 22:22
Migrants will have to earn more to qualify for a work visa and will not be able to bring partners to the UK unless they have been married for two years, under proposals tabled by the Conservative Party.
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In amendments to the Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill that is making its way through the House of Commons, the party has suggested migrants will have to earn £38,700 in order to secure permission to live and work in the UK.
The Tories said it will ensure migrants are "self-sufficient and do not rely on the state".
Other suggested changes include anyone who has been granted a work visa will be unable to apply for any form of benefits from the Government, including housing support.
The move had been mooted by the then-Conservative government last year. However, upon entering office, the new Labour administration commissioned a review that will report in June.
Conservative Shadow home secretary Chris Philp said: "We need to dramatically reduce immigration. The numbers coming into the UK on family visas have been far too high, and these measures will fix that."
The proposals will also target spousal and family visas. Spouses must also earn £38,700, must be aged over 23, must have been married for at least two years, and none will be issued to first cousins.
Watch Again: Lewis Goodall speaks to Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp | 09/03/2025
An overall annual cap on family visas has also been tabled. There were 86,049 family visas issued in 2024, 7% higher than in 2023. However, the number has been falling since the Labour Party came to power in July.
It will also attempt to put the Conservative policy of people only being granted indefinite leave to remain if they have been in Britain for at least 10 years in to law. This would double the current five-year threshold.
On asylum, the party will also advance an amendment to revoke someone's asylum status if they have returned to their country of origin, even if the country is deemed unsafe. It means those going on holiday to their home country would lose their asylum status.
Mr Philp added: "For too long we have seen mass low-skilled low-wage immigration into the UK. We now know that actually costs the taxpayer money, puts pressure on services and undermines social cohesion.
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"The Conservatives are under new leadership. Mass immigration must end, and instead I want to see far, far smaller numbers of genuinely high-skilled migrants."
A Home Office source said that the Conservatives "left a system in chaos and our borders weaker".
The source added: "They could have progressed these measures in any of the many immigration bills they passed in Government, including the three they passed whilst Chris Philp was a Home Office minister.
"The Labour Government is getting a grip on the system. Our Border Security Bill will bring in counter-terror style powers to disrupt the criminal smuggling gangs making millions out of small boat crossings, as well as ensuring police and immigration officers have the powers they need to act where anyone poses a public safety threat."
They said that all amendments will be examined as part of the parliamentary process.
