How Keir Starmer's plan to stop UK becoming an ‘island of strangers’ will hurt Indians

The United Kingdom (UK) government is tightening its immigration policies to prevent the country from becoming an “island of strangers”, as British Prime Minister Keir Starmer put it on Monday (May 12). He has announced sweeping reforms to the UK’s immigration system.

The Starmer-led Labour government aims to cut down net migration “significantly” over the next four years. This comes amid political challenges from Nigel Farage’s right-wing party, Reform UK, and growing public discord over a spike in arrivals to the country.

But what did Starmer say? What will the UK immigration changes include and how will they affect Indians? We will explain.

Keir Starmer’s tough stance on migration

UK PM Keir Starmer on Monday announced a tougher immigration policy to “take back control of our borders”.

Speaking at a Downing Street press conference, the Labour leader said that he wanted to bring down net migration “significantly” by the end of this Parliament, without setting a specific numerical target.

“Nations depend on rules, fair rules. Sometimes they are written down, often they are not, but either way, they give shape to our values, guide us towards our rights, of course, but also our responsibilities, the obligations we owe to each other,” Starmer was quoted as saying by The Guardian.

“In a diverse nation like ours, and I celebrate that, these rules become even more important. Without them, we risk becoming an island of strangers, not a nation that walks forward together,” he added.

The British PM also rejected the belief that immigration spurs economic growth. “The theory that higher migration numbers necessarily lead to higher growth has been tested in the last four years,” he said.

“We’ve had the highest net migration when the last government lost control, to nearly one million (10 lakh), and stagnant growth. And so that link doesn’t hold on that evidence.”

The Labour government’s crackdown on immigration comes in the wake of anti-immigration Reform UK’s gains in local elections this month.

Starmer’s “island of strangers” remark comes off as ironic given that the British colonised half of the world. While this is a popular belief, a report in The Atlantic says Great Britain has invaded 90 per cent of the countries on the globe.

UK’s immigration white paper

After the British PM’s press conference, the UK’s immigration white paper was published, underlining the government’s plan to introduce strict rules for all visa routes.

Skilled worker visas: The British government proposes strengthening skilled work visas by limiting them to applicants who have a degree.

There will also be “time-limited” access to jobs below this graduate-level qualification. However, it will be based on evidence of labour shortages.

The white paper also endorses a 32 per cent rise in the “immigration skills charge” paid by employers who hire skilled overseas workers, as per The Guardian report. The extra funds have to be utilised to upskill UK workers in priority sectors.

Social care visa: The white paper suggests barring care homes from recruiting staff from abroad. Social care providers will be allowed to hire international care workers already in the UK.

There are fears that these changes will cause a shortage of staff, impacting the care available to people.

English language requirements: The UK has proposed raising English language requirements across visa categories. Foreign workers will be expected to show a higher standard of English, and even their adult family members will have to display at least basic English skills and progress over time.

“Helping individuals integrate into their local community, find employment and reducing the risk of exploitation and abuse” was the main reason cited for this change, Downing Street said in a statement, as per PTI.

Student visas: The UK is making requirements stricter for universities enrolling international students. A six per cent levy will be introduced on the income that universities get from foreign students and reinvested in the higher education and skills system.

The tests for colleges and universities will be made tougher for foreign students. Graduates who remain in the UK to work after their studies can do so for only 18 months, a decline from the current two years.

Settlement: The new immigration system will end the right of overseas workers to automatically apply for settlement in the UK after five years. Instead, the migrants will have to wait for 10 years to be eligible for permanent residency. The new rules, however, include a fast track for foreign workers who can show their “contribution to the economy and society” through a “points-based system”. This will be applicable for “high-skilled and high-contributing” migrants, such as nurses, doctors, engineers and AI specialists.

Dependants will still have to wait for five years before applying for settlement.

Deporting criminals: The reforms make it easier to deny entry or asylum to foreigners who have broken the law. It also allows for the deportation of offenders, especially if they are on short-term visas. The new rules will apply to all offences, particularly sexual offences, as reported by The Guardian.

The UK has said it is not exiting the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), but Starmer hinted at reviewing how Article 8 — which allows people to appeal on the basis of their right to a family life — is interpreted.

eVisas for foreigners: The UK will introduce eVisas for all foreigners to monitor arrivals. This new digital identity system will replace the current system of biometric residence permit cards for overseas citizens.

How will Indians be impacted?

The UK’s immigration reforms will hit Indians hard. India makes up for one of the largest sources of overseas professionals and students arriving in the UK.

In 2023, Indians comprised the largest group of immigrants to the UK, with 250,000 arrivals, according to the Office for National Statistics. The latest UK Home Office data shows that Indians received the most number of work visas and study visas in 2024. Of the 369,419 work visas issued by the British government last year, 81,463, or 22 per cent, went to Indian nationals — the highest among all countries.

However, the total number of work visas granted to Indians halved, from 162,655 in 2023 to 81,463 in 2024.

The Indians who got the work visas, as many as 34,954 were main applicants and 46,509 were dependents, including spouses and children.

Of the total 419,312 study visas issued by the UK last year, Indians got the second highest with 92,355 visas. China topped the study visa recipient list with 103,561 visas.

The Starmer government expects the new policy will lead to 100,000 fewer migrants every year.

The UK’s net migration was 728,000 in the 12 months to June 2024. This figure had jumped to a record 906,000 in the year to June 2023 under the previous Conservative government.

A new Home Office assessment shows the net migration could plunge to 300,000 by 2029.

With inputs from agencies