Migrant Skilled Worker Exodus, New Channel Crossing Agreement and More – UK April 2026 Updates

Over 90% of Foreign Workers Considering Leaving UK Over New Settlement Rules

A startlingly high percentage of migrant workers in the UK may consider leaving the country over Labour’s new proposed changes to indefinite leave to remain, according to a new survey.

Conducted by the Skill Migrant Alliance, the survey found that 62% of the 10,187 skilled migrants questioned would “seriously consider” leaving the UK in the face of the new changes, with a further 31% saying they would “possibly” leave.

This would create a “combined departure risk” of 93%, representing a significant exodus of skilled migrant labour from the UK.

Labour have proposed to change the minimum baseline qualifying period for indefinite leave to remain from 5 years to 10 years, with some foreign nationals facing waits of 15 years or more. These changes are currently set to apply retroactively to foreign nationals already in the UK on a pathway to settlement.

The survey also found that 71% of migrants would consider moving to a third country such as Canada, Australia or Germany rather than returning to their country of origin; only 20% surveyed stated they would return to their home country.

The profession facing the largest exodus of foreign workers is health and social care, with 66% of respondents stating that they would seriously consider leaving the UK.

UK and France Sign New Agreement to Reduce Illegal Channel Crossings

The UK and France have signed a new agreement that will invest heavily in operations to reduce illegal Channel crossings.

As part of the new partnership, £500 million will be invested to strengthen immigration controls in northern France, while £161 million will be used to fund “new actions” based on their impact on crossing prevention, with the possibility of funding to be rerouted to other new initiatives based on performance.

The agreement will also include the following:

• Increasing ground staff by 53%, including 80 people to be assigned to a new SIPAF – Interministerial Border Police unit
• The completion of the new administrative detention centre in Dunkirk and the future Compagnies Républicaines de Sécurité (CRS) cantonment in Calais
• Increasing intelligence and judicial police units from 18 members of personnel to 30
• Utilising drones, helicopters and “electronic means” to further bolster surveillance capabilities

According to a government report, nearly 60,000 illegal migrants and foreign criminals have been sent back or deported from the UK since Labour came into power, representing a 31% increase on previous numbers.

Home Secretary, Shabana Mahmood, stated: “Our collaboration with the French has prevented tens of thousands of illegal migrants from boarding the boats bound for Britain. But we need to go further. This historic agreement will prevent illegal migrants from making the perilous journey and put smugglers behind bars.”

UK Government to Close 11 Asylum Hotels

The UK government have announced the closure of 11 asylum hotels across the country, representing a supposed saving of £65 million a year in taxpayer money.

The hotels that have now ceased holding illegal migrants and have now returned to normal public-facing operations are as follows:

• Banbury House Hotel – Banbury, Oxfordshire
• Marine Court Hotel – Bangor, Ards and North Down
• 15 Citrus Hotel – Cheltenham, Gloucestershire
• Holiday Inn Heathrow – Hillingdon, London
• Britannia Hotel – Wolverhampton
• Madeley Court Hotel – Madeley, Telford & Wrekin
• OYO Lakeside – St Helens, Merseyside
• Crewe Arms Hotel – Crewe, Cheshire East
• Sure Hotel by Best Western – Aberdeen
• The Rock Hotel – Halifax, Calderdale
• Wool Merchant Hotel – Halifax, Calderdale

According to an official press release, these closures are part of the government’s efforts to “fix the broken asylum system – tackling the immediate pressure of hotel use while driving longer‑term reform through faster asylum decisions, higher removals, and tougher enforcement.” More hotels are said to follow “soon”.

The government are said to be focusing on scaling up the use of larger, more basic accommodation sites to house migrants, with facilities such as the Crowborough military barracks already housing over 350 individuals.

Border Security and Asylum Minister Alex Norris stated:

“Hotels were meant to be a short‑term stop‑gap under the previous government, but they spiralled out of control – costing taxpayers billions and dumping the consequences on local communities. We are shutting them down by moving people into more basic accommodation, scaling up large sites, removing record numbers of people with no right to remain. This is about restoring control, ending waste, and handing hotels back to the community for good.”

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