The UK’s Labour government is preparing to tighten visa rules for applicants from countries deemed more likely to overstay or seek asylum after arrival.
According to The Times and confirmed by a government official speaking anonymously, the proposed restrictions could affect work and study visa applications from Pakistan, Nigeria, and Sri Lanka.
These changes are expected to be detailed in an upcoming policy paper aimed at reducing net migration, which hit 728,000 last year. The Home Office said it is developing intelligence tools to detect patterns of abuse and identify at-risk applicants earlier.
“To tackle ab¥se by foreign nationals who arrive on work and study visas and go on to claim asylum, we are building intelligence on the profile of these individuals,” a Home Office spokesperson said. “Where we detect trends that undermine our immigration rules, we will not hesitate to act.”
The move follows Labour’s p++r performance in recent local elections, where voter frustration over high migration levels and small boat crossings contributed to losses. The rise of the anti-immigrant Reform UK party, led by Nigel Farage, has intensified pressure on Labour to take a harder stance on immigration.
Immigration figures published last month show that total applications across worker, study, and family visa categories dropped by over one-third—from 1.24 million to 772,000—in the year leading to March 2025.
This decline followed actions by the former Conservative government, including bans on overseas care workers and students bringing dependants, and a sharp rise in the skilled worker salary threshold to £38,700.
Labour’s upcoming proposals aim to further that trajectory, potentially reshaping UK immigration policy in response to both political and public pressures.
