UK Immigration update March 2026: Statement of Changes to Immigration Rules and updated Home Office sponsor guidance

At a glance

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Statement of Changes to the Immigration Rules

Published on 5 March 2026 

What has changed?

On 5 March 2026, the Home Secretary published a wide‑ranging Statement of Changes to the Immigration Rules. The changes take effect on various dates between March 2026 and March 2027 and form part of the government’s broader tightening of the work migration framework.

For employers, key headline changes include:

• Introduction of a 'visa brake': Effective from 26 March 2026, citizens of Afghanistan will not be eligible for UK entry clearance via the Skilled Worker route. Applications submitted prior to 26 March will remain unaffected by this change. Additionally, nationals of Afghanistan, Cameroon, Myanmar, and Sudan will no longer be permitted to apply for entry clearance under the student visa route from 26 March 2026.
• Skilled Worker route salary compliance changes: Sponsored workers must now be paid at least the minimum salary in each pay period, enabling UKVI to detect breaches without averaging salaries over a full year period. This change is effective from 7 April 2026.
• Reduction of the duration of refugee and humanitarian protection: For asylum claims made on or after 2 March 2026, permission to stay on a protection route will be valid for a minimum period of 30 months, reduced from five years.
• Introduction of visit visa requirements for nationals of Nicaragua and St Lucia: From 5 March 2026, nationals of Nicaragua and St Lucia have been removed from the list of countries eligible to apply for an Electronic Travel Authorisation and will be required to apply for a visit visa prior to visiting the UK.
• Skilled Worker route changes for Prison Service Officers: New provisions protecting roles that fall under SOC occupation code 3314 (Prison service officers), permitting a lower, transitional salary threshold of GBP31,300 or the going-rate of GBP31,600 for applications for permission to stay where the first Certificate of Sponsorship was assigned before 1 January 2027.
• Further extension of the Ukraine Permission Extension (UPE) Scheme: From 8 April 2026, the Ukraine Permission Extension will be extended to allow eligible individuals to obtain a further extension of 24 months.
• Reduction of qualifying employment period for Global Business Mobility: Secondment Worker eligibility: From 8 April 2026, a reduction in qualifying overseas employment period from 12 to six months.
• New path to endorsement under Global Talent route: Those working in the design industry will now have their own field for Global Talent endorsement. The evidentiary requirements for endorsement are in line with the provisions for endorsement in the field of architecture and arts. An endorsing body for this new field is still to be confirmed, ahead of the implementation date of 1 July 2026.
• Confirmation of a future increase in the English language requirement for settlement: The English language proficiency required for settlement applications will increase from CEFR level 1 B1 to B2. This will apply to applications submitted on or after 26 March 2027.

Impact for employers and action to take 

Workforce planning and recruitment may be affected for roles involving nationals impacted by the visa brake and employers should be prepared to conduct additional right to work checks on employees with refugee status gained after the introduction of this change.

Longer‑term planning for sponsored workers progressing towards settlement will also need to factor in the higher language thresholds.

Employers should:

• Review pipelines for overseas recruitment and flag any cases potentially impacted by the visa brake.
• Sense‑check payroll arrangements for sponsored workers ahead of further salary compliance enforcement.
• Communicate early with sponsored employees about future settlement requirements.

Updates to Home Office sponsor guidance

Published on 5 March 2026 and effective immediately

What has changed? 

Alongside the rules changes, the Home Office published updated sponsor guidance, tightening compliance expectations across Skilled Worker and Temporary Worker routes. The updated guidance makes clear that sponsor licences may be revoked even where breaches are unintentional and places renewed emphasis on governance and control.

Headline changes include:

• Replacement of the 'genuine vacancy' requirement with new 'eligible role': This new concept is defined in the updated glossary and requires closer alignment between job descriptions, SOC coding and organisational need
• Increased focus on whether the role described on the Certificate of Sponsorship reflects the job in practice: This does not change the existing duty but emphasises that the Home Office are taking closer inspection of whether this duty has actually met.
• Tighter salary compliance, including expectations that salary thresholds are met in each pay period: As noted earlier in the article.
• Express duty to ensure sponsored workers are informed about their UK employment rights: Tightens the 'good governance / wider UK law' compliance duties and requires sponsors to retain evidence that employment‑rights information was given to each sponsored worker. This is not a new employment law right; it is a newly explicit sponsorship compliance duty with an evidence expectation. Most employers already cover rights in contracts and handbooks, but UKVI now expects sponsors to be able to show how and when that information was given to each sponsored worker. It is not clear how UKVI will assess this compliance duty, but one option could be to provide a one‑page 'Know your Rights' document signposting these rights and where the further policies live.
• Amendment to widen applicability of right to work checks: The updated guidance requires checking every worker's right to work before they start, regardless of nationality or visa status. Changes now distinguish between employed and 'engaged' workers, matching the expanded illegal working regime scope expected this year.

Impact for employers and action to take

The 6 March 2026 updates represent a tightening of the sponsorship regime, with enhanced scrutiny, expanded definitions and reinforced record‑keeping expectations.

Sponsor licence compliance should be viewed as an ongoing governance obligation, not a one‑off administrative exercise. To safeguard ongoing compliance and limit the risk of enforcement action, sponsors should:

• Download and circulate the latest versions of sponsor guidance, removing outdated internal references.
• Audit Certificates of Sponsorship against actual duties and reporting lines.
• Review record‑keeping, payroll and HR systems with sponsor compliance in mind.
• Consider a proactive internal compliance review before any Home Office scrutiny.

Enforcement of pre‑departure checks for dual nationals

Effective from 25 February 2026 

What has changed? 

From 25 February 2026, the Home Office began full enforcement of digital pre‑departure checks, meaning carriers are required to verify permission to travel before passengers board UK‑bound transport. This includes enforcement of the Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) scheme and confirmation of exemptions.

For British and Irish dual nationals, this has practical consequences. Dual nationals must now travel using:

• a valid British or Irish passport, or
• a foreign passport containing a Certificate of Entitlement.

An ETA cannot be used as a workaround for dual nationals travelling on a non‑UK or non‑Irish passport. Airlines and other carriers may refuse boarding where appropriate documentation is not produced at check‑in.

Impact for employers and action to take

Employees who are dual nationals may be denied boarding before travel, even where they have an underlying right of entry.

Business travel disruptions may arise at short notice, particularly where employees routinely travel on a non‑UK passport. To avoid disruption to business travel, employers can:

• Identify employees who hold dual British or Irish nationality and regularly travel internationally.
• Remind affected employees that they must travel using appropriate documentation.
• Build passport and travel document checks into mobility and business travel processes.

Other developments to watch

Alongside the immediate changes outlined above, two further developments are worth flagging for employers planning ahead.

• Closure of the ‘A Fairer Pathway to Settlement’ consultation: The government's consultation 'A Fairer Pathway to Settlement' closed on 12 February 2026. The consultation set out the government's proposal to replace the current five-year route to settled status (also known as Indefinite Leave to Remain) and abolish the current ten-year long residence route. The government's review of the responses received is yet to be published and whilst initially the changes were anticipated to be introduced in April 2026, this may be pushed back to Autumn 2026.
• Office for National Statistics (ONS) consultation on revisions to SOC 2020: On 16 February 2026, the ONS launched a consultation on revising the SOC 2020, the framework used to classify people's occupations within the UK. The consultation closes on 11 May 2026, and responses can be submitted in writing or via email to SOCrevision@ons.gov.uk

We will be monitoring these developments closely and issuing updates as things take shape. If you would like to discuss what these changes may mean for your business, please do get in touch with our immigration team.