2025 has moved at lightning speed, and looking back, I am incredibly proud of what our team at the Work Rights Centre has achieved. It’s been a year of growth and impact: /1

We take our impact very seriously. Here's a snapshot of what we achieved in 2025: 💥£173K recovered for people exploited by their employers 💥481 people supported to understand & secure their immigration status 💥8 Home Office decisions contested Read more⬇️ www.workrightscentre.org/about-us/our...

Well, that was quite a year! Here's our roundup of the big migration moments of 2025, including 3 white papers, a big fall in net migration, and 10 gaps in the evidence base. migrationobservatory.ox.ac.uk/resources/co...

New from FM: Court declares University’s failure to rescind its withdrawal of sponsorship as unlawful | Ben Maitland

Interesting. I suspect that this has a lot to do with graduate visas coming to an end. A bespoke visa scheme for prison staff to give 12 month extensions. Will be interesting to understand if this is long enough and what they hope to change in that time. news.sky.com/story/hundre...

Far more people in medium-skilled jobs who came in 2023 were sponsored by employers whose license has been revoked than in 2022. This is particularly bad for temporary shortage list jobs. Excludes health and care, only includes jobs with 100+ visas for entry and employers sponsoring 6+ visas. (1/2)

Even by my low expectations for Kemi Badenoch ‘violence against women and girls is something done by immigrants and nobody else’ has shocked me.

🔊We are launching a NEW CAMPAIGN to stand against the government's plans to put ILR even further out of reach for most migrants (except the wealthy!) These plans are morally wrong and will damage our society and communities. Stand with us to oppose them✊ www.workrightscentre.org/our-campaign...

This had me laughing a bit too much.

They have a significant majority in the Commons that they secured with a manifesto to usher in the content of the Employment Rights Bill. And yet faced a v.difficult time getting it passed. This did not happen to the same degree under the Tories.

A number of workers sponsored under the Home Office's Skilled Worker scheme are now receiving positive decisions recognising them as victims of modern slavery. The means of control has always included visa status and the sponsorship powers given to exploiters by the Home Office. /1

Colleague sends me this from the partner leave to remain application they are completing... I had not seen this before. Ask yourself, why would the Home Office need to know how your partner became British?

I saw this last night and it was excellent. The hype is well earned. I'd never thought Dylan Thomas' prose worked so well to so many different genre's of music including tango. They really brought to life that intersection of memory and nostalgia www.emmaricecompany.co.uk/productions/...

And yet, the government's Earned Settlement strategy essentially says they don't contribute enough and need to do more to 'earn' the right to stay indefinitely in the UK.

"Migrants who came to the UK on skilled work visas in 2022-23 will make a net contribution of £47bn to the public finances over their lifetime, according to new estimates from the government’s Migration Advisory Committee." Not surprising, but some observations (1/n) www.ft.com/content/10da...

Our Marcel had an orthopedic operation a couple of weeks (FHNE). He's doing so well and it makes you marvel at how resilient cats can be. He has essentially lost part of his femur and is walking around like nothing happened!

🚨New research by the Migration Advisory Committee shows migrants who came to the UK on the Skilled Worker visa route in 2022/23 likely to make a +47bn fiscal contribution over their lifetime. Even the lowest earners excluded from the route after the July changes make a positive contribution

90,000 people have been pushed from one queue to another. Rather than waiting for an initial decision, they are now waiting to appeal. More time in costly hotels, more targeting from the far-right, less chance to move on with their lives.

New NRM stats today show significant decrease in the time it's taking for cases to receive Conclusive Grounds decisions. 📉 As of the 30 Nov 2025 there were 6,749 cases awaiting a CG decision; a 26% decrease compared to 30 September 2025 (9,107) and a 77% decrease from the peak of 29,275 in 2022.

Latest Skilled Worker entry clearance stats.

Analytical rigour in Article 8 immigration appeals administrativecourtblog.wordpress.com/2025/12/10/a...

New Home Office impact assessment finds that cutting skilled and social care visas will cost the UK up to £10 billion with a central estimate of -£5.4 billion. It would be good if this got even a fraction of the coverage devoted to the endless debate about boats, flags and Turkish barber shops

🚨Changes to immigration could wipe £10bn from the Treasury, reveals the government's impact assessment. The losses are almost certain: older & disabled people will find it harder to get care, and between -£10.8bn and -£2.2bn will be lost in taxes; while the benefits are uncertain & intangible. 1/X

There’s a statement of changes to the immigration rules down on the House of Commons order paper for today commonsbusiness.parliament.uk/Document/100...

Millions of EU citizens had the rug pulled from under their feet when the UK Brexited. There was widespread outcry on changing the rules for millions of people. Where is the same indignation when the Labour government does it to millions of other migrants?

The “Labour” Party finds itself arguing ordinary workers, carers and others are “takers”.

UK universities restricting recruitment of Bangladeshi and Pakistani students in order to meet new Home Office requirements on visa refusals and asylum claims by students giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/...

One of Earned Settlement's plans is aimed at addressing a concern about those with ILR claiming benefits and that there will be a surge. ILR (with recourse to public funds) has existed for decades. Looking at the data carefully it's not entirely clear what the evidence is for the gov's worries.

The government's proposals to calculate settlement qualifying periods on a case-by-case basis will penalise migrants who get sick, are exploited or become destitute. Read our analysis and understand the proposed contributing factors ⬇️ www.workrightscentre.org/publications...

This sounds like modern slavery to me. I've clients who've been recognised as victims with similar facts. People in authority shouldn't be afraid to make this connection and it will push back on the government's narrative that these people are somehow scamming the system.

“Many came to the UK in good faith, believing they could apply for leave to remain after five years. They now feel betrayed. These retrospective changes risk keeping workers trapped, unable to speak out and unable to put down roots.

Revised net migration projection based on yesterday’s data, the new ILR policy and an expected gradual decline in dependant numbers (Currently dependant applications are double main applicant applications for work visas but this won’t last). Yes it is negative in 2026. Roughly -110,000 to -10,000.

One of my biggest fears is how the toughening up of restrictions directed at the many tens of thousands of people on Health and Care visas (both for extensions and settlement) will see increases in undocumented people. Instead of helping them, they are being demonised.

Graduate visa numbers are falling now. Including dependants, half as many grants in Q3 2025 as in Q3 2024. Mainly because of the fall in international student numbers.

I'm not sure how much it is appreciated that there will be significant emigration coming. Those here on graduate visas coming to an end, the toughening up of skilled worker rules re. salaries/sponsorable roles and the 'earned settlement' changes to come. Lots of people are going to leave.

Net migration down to 204k year ending June 2025, per ONS. www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopula...

The 10 year part of the 'earned settlement' plan is not exactly popular and might cause drift amongst Labour's supporters according to this v.interesting report from @britishfuture.bsky.social . I wonder, is the calculation that by going harder than expected they politically stand to lose less?

PUBLISHED TODAY: ‘Noise & Nuance: What the public really thinks about immigration’ – new findings from the British Future/Ipsos Immigration Attitudes Tracker, which has studied public opinion on immigration and asylum since 2015 [🧵]

Today's immigration statistics (at 930) will likely show a further steep fall. @jamesbowes01.bsky.social explains why. ukandeu.ac.uk/the-coming-c...

Most of the public think net migration increased last year, when in fact numbers halved. New findings from the Ipsos/British Future Immigration Attitudes Tracker show that 56% of the public thinks immigration increased last year. Just 1 in 6 realise it was down www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...

Which of these is the "cause of our division"? Those who came under the Ukraine Schemes to be protected from Russia's aggression? Those sponsored to work in the Health and Care sector? The BNOs from Hong Kong? The students attending our universities?

‘It’s wrong’: the Labour MP speaking out against the party’s asylum policy

I've done my best to explain the "earned settlement" policy announced yesterday, which will create a series of new tests that claim to assess "contribution" to Britain rather than granting ILR based on time spent in the UK alone The winners? High earners www.nytimes.com/2025/11/20/w...

Mahmood/government should say explain *objective* of increasing time to settlement for 15 years for care workers who arrived 2022-24 Is it A) to get them to leave? Why? B) to save money? Then why not just restrict benefits? C) to "encourage integration"? How? Will do opposite.

Earned Settlement plan when implemented will be done via secondary legislation (the rules). There will be no parliamentary scrutiny prior. Once done, it'll be v.hard to politically reverse. It's a watershed moment and will define immigration policy for at least a decade.

In the foreword to settlement consultation, the Home Secretary tells us that "My father came here in the early 1970s, and my mother a little less than a decade later."

We're all making our way through this consultation document and I'm initially struck by the risks of discrimination towards those with disabilities, single parents, women etc.

The government's statement and consultation on "earned settlement" is out assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/691edd...

Worth remembering given the proposed ILR changes are going to be announced today. A "consultation" by the Home Office is usually 'this is what we want to do, how can we implement it?' rather than 'these are the various options we are thinking about, which do you prefer and why?'.

The i Paper is reporting that once the changes are brought in, the 20 year route will be applied to refugees who are already here. I can't over emphasise the level of terror this will cause to our refugee population, and the lack of detail and timescale will make it very difficult to calm nerves.