Indian media coverage on 7 December highlights fresh Home Office rules raising the financial and language thresholds for international applicants to the UK. From the 2025-26 academic year, student-visa holders must show monthly maintenance funds of £1,529 in London (£1,171 elsewhere), up from £1,334/£1,023. Separately, from January 2026 skilled-worker applicants will need to pass a B2-level English test—equivalent to UK A-level—rather than the current B1 minimum.
The changes come on top of a proposed extension of the qualifying period for settlement to ten years for most migrants, and plans to shorten the Graduate Route. Together they amount to the most restrictive shift in UK migration policy since the 2010 cap. The reforms are politically popular amid record net migration but have drawn fire from business groups and the Royal Society, whose president Sir Paul Nurse warned that "expensive visa costs are shooting Britain in the foot" by deterring young researchers.
![Higher Maintenance Funds and English-Language Standard Tighten UK Student and Skilled-Worker Visas]()
For multinational employers, higher English requirements will raise training costs and could exclude mid-level hires from emerging markets. HR teams should audit existing recruitment pipelines, review salary benchmarks (which rise to £25,000 in March 2025) and budget for additional IELTS or Pearson test fees. Education consultants, meanwhile, say the maintenance-fund hike could price out middle-class students from South Asia, risking a talent drain to Canada and Germany.
The Home Office defends the policy as ensuring migrants can support themselves and integrate linguistically. Officials privately say they expect a temporary dip in applications followed by a "quality rebound" as higher-skilled candidates adapt.
Stakeholders have until 31 January to respond to an open call for evidence on the settlement-route extension. Universities UK is preparing an impact-assessment dossier and is urging corporate sponsors to add their voice.
The changes come on top of a proposed extension of the qualifying period for settlement to ten years for most migrants, and plans to shorten the Graduate Route. Together they amount to the most restrictive shift in UK migration policy since the 2010 cap. The reforms are politically popular amid record net migration but have drawn fire from business groups and the Royal Society, whose president Sir Paul Nurse warned that "expensive visa costs are shooting Britain in the foot" by deterring young researchers.
For multinational employers, higher English requirements will raise training costs and could exclude mid-level hires from emerging markets. HR teams should audit existing recruitment pipelines, review salary benchmarks (which rise to £25,000 in March 2025) and budget for additional IELTS or Pearson test fees. Education consultants, meanwhile, say the maintenance-fund hike could price out middle-class students from South Asia, risking a talent drain to Canada and Germany.
The Home Office defends the policy as ensuring migrants can support themselves and integrate linguistically. Officials privately say they expect a temporary dip in applications followed by a "quality rebound" as higher-skilled candidates adapt.
Stakeholders have until 31 January to respond to an open call for evidence on the settlement-route extension. Universities UK is preparing an impact-assessment dossier and is urging corporate sponsors to add their voice.
