New Reform Policies, Visa Suspensions, Sponsor Licence Revocations and More – UK September 2025 Updates

Reform Outlines Harsh New Immigration Policies

Reform’s Nigel Farage has introduced strict new immigration policies to be enforced if the party wins a majority at the next general election.

These include abolishing indefinite leave to remain, meaning that foreign nationals in the UK will have to continually reapply for visas every five years in order to legally stay in the country.

In addition, foreign nationals would be excluded from being able to claim benefits in the UK until they fully naturalise as British citizens.

Eligibility criteria for various visas would also be tightened, and the average length of time it takes to become eligible for British citizenship would be lengthened from six to seven years.

Speaking in a press conference, Farage stated: “It is not for us to provide welfare for people coming in from all over the world,” going on to criticise Boris Johnson’s Conservative government for overseeing almost 3.8 million foreign nationals who came to the UK after Brexit.

Reform’s plans have been widely criticised by other political parties, however, with Chancellor Rachel Reeves stating that the plans “have no basis in reality” and Conservative shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp accusing Reform of “once again copying Conservative ideas, but in a way that is half-baked and unworkable.”

UK to Consider Suspending Visas from Countries with No Migrant Return Deals

The new Home Secretary has stated that the UK could potentially suspend visa applications from countries that do not agree to migrant return deals.

Shabana Mahmood, who took up the role near the start of September, stated the following:

“We think there is interesting space for collaborating, particularly on how we deal with countries who do not take their citizens back – so making sure we are able to return out of our countries people who have no right to be in our countries and send them back to their home countries … for us that means the possibility of cutting visas in the future to say we do expect countries to play ball, play by the rules and if one of your citizens has no right to be in our country, you have to take them back.”

Mahmood did not state which countries this new policy could potentially apply to.

The news comes in the wake of record numbers of undocumented migrants arriving in the UK on small boats, which had led to increased pressure on the Labour party to offer solutions to the ongoing migrant crisis.

Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp was critical of Labour’s plans, stating that Starmer’s party should go as far to cutting aid to countries that do not take back its citizens.

He also added: “This Labour government is too weak to take the steps necessary to protect our borders and I see no sign of that changing any time soon.”

Record Number of UK Sponsor Licences Revoked in Past Year

A record number of sponsor licences in the UK were revoked in the year ending June 2025, as the UK government crack down on “abuses” of the immigration system.

Approximately 1,948 licences were revoked between July 2024 and June 2025, which is twice as many from the same period of time in the preceding year (937).

According to a Home Office press release, many of the suspended sponsors were using work visas to “help migrants circumvent immigration rules”, or were otherwise underpaying and exploiting migrant workers who were reliant on their jobs in order to stay in the UK.

The most common industries where cases of abuse were found were adult social care, hospitality, retail and construction.

Illegal working arrests have also risen by 51% as the government continue to enforce stricter measures to prevent unlawful breaches of employment and immigration rules, and to deter migrants from travelling to the UK under “false promises” of work available.

Visa Fees for Top Global Talent Could be Abolished in New Plans

The UK government are considering new plans to abolish certain visa fees in order to attract more top global talent to the UK.

Top scientists, academics and digital experts are among the professions who could benefit from the new plans as the Labour party explore new avenues to attract graduates from top global universities and recipients of prestigious prizes to the UK.

The approach is in stark contrast to Donald Trump’s recently-announced plans to significantly hike the application fee for the H-1B visa in the US, which has elicited criticism and alarm from American employers and advocacy groups.

A spokesperson from the UK government clarified that cutting visa fees for certain top applicants would not be in opposition of the overall goal to lower net migration to the UK, and instead would be consistent with the overall desire to attract the “brightest and best” to the UK.

How Can IAS Help With Your UK Visa Application?

IAS have a team of immigration advisers and caseworkers experienced in the field of UK immigration law.

Regardless of where you’re coming from or what your chosen immigration pathway is, we can help you with almost all UK immigration and visa cases, using our years of experience and compassionate customer service to help get you to where you need to go.

We also offer fast-track and urgent application packages if you need to submit your application to a deadline.

Don’t hesitate to reach out for help on your situation today. Call us on +44 (0)333 414 9244 or reach out to us online.