PM unveils UK immigration crackdown as ‘foreigners use student visas as back door to UK’
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer today unveiled sweeping reforms to the United Kingdom’s immigration system, vowing to “tighten up every area” in a bid to stem record levels of net migration. Speaking at a press conference ahead of the release of the long-awaited immigration white paper, Sir Keir accused the previous conservative government of “failing the British people” by allowing the system to spiral out of control. However, he stopped short of setting a specific target for reducing net migration figures.
Sir Keir’s intervention follows alarming new data revealing the extent to which student visas are being exploited as a back door to the UK’s labour market. Figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show that in 2024, nearly half of non-EU students and their dependents who arrived in the UK had transitioned to work or other visas after three years, compared with just 10% doing so only three years earlier. Specifically, some 194,300 individuals who arrived in 2023 switched from study-related visas to work visas, highlighting what ministers are calling a “glaring loophole” in the system.
The figures also contributed to the UK’s record net migration, which reached 906,000 in the year to June 2023 — a figure four times higher than pre-Brexit levels. This sharp rise has fuelled concerns over the integrity of the immigration system, housing shortages, and pressure on public services.
When pressed on whether net migration would now fall every year until the next general election, Sir Keir declined to offer a firm commitment. Instead, he pledged that the numbers would come down “significantly” by the end of this Parliament.
“I’m promising it will fall significantly, and I do want to get it down by the end of this Parliament, significantly,” he told reporters.
Net migration, which calculates the difference between people entering and leaving the UK, has become a political flashpoint in recent years. Before labour’s victory in the 2024 general election, the conservative government had introduced measures to limit dependents accompanying foreign students and raised the minimum salary threshold for skilled worker visas from £26,200 to £38,700. These steps had led to a modest reduction in net migration, which dropped by just under 20% to 728,000, and a 19% decline in student numbers in the year to september 2024.
More Read
However, labour now claims that piecemeal reforms are not enough, and that a comprehensive overhaul is necessary to restore public confidence. Key to the package of measures announced today is the abolition of the automatic right to settle permanently in the UK after five years’ residence. Under the new rules, migrants will need to live in the country for at least a decade before applying for indefinite leave to remain, unless they can demonstrate a “real and lasting contribution” to the British economy and society.
In addition, the government is toughening up english language requirements across all visa routes. For the first time, adult dependents of migrants will also be required to show a basic level of english proficiency, part of what downing street is describing as a drive to improve integration and ensure that all residents can participate fully in British life.
Sir Keir insisted these reforms would create a “firm but fair” system that rewards those who “work hard, contribute, and integrate,” while closing loopholes and deterring abuse. The Prime Minister maintained that immigration remains “vital” for the UK’s economy and public services but stressed that it must be “properly controlled and managed in the national interest.”
The immigration white paper, expected to be published later this week, will outline the full range of legislative and administrative changes, with ministers anticipating heated debate in Parliament.
