Labour’s immigration White Paper: a brief explainer 

In the aftermath of Reform’s local and parliamentary elections, the Labour government unveiled a White Paper proposing concerning reforms to immigration and citizenship law while evoking the language of Enoch Powell’s Rivers of Blood speech, SJ Gerdes breaks down what these changes are and why socialists need to resist capitalist’s narratives that scapegoat migrants.

On 12 May, the Labour government published its long-awaited White Paper, ‘Restoring Control Over the Immigration System’. It sets out proposals for changes to immigration law covering work, study and family visas, in addition to routes for long-term settlement and citizenship. These substantial changes are primarily framed around the objective of substantially reducing net migration numbers. 

Published in the shadows of the local elections, which saw Reform make significant gains in councils and the Runcorn parliament seat from Labour, the White Paper had been in the works for months. The government has long been considering its approach to migration outside of asylum policy. It was supposed to be covered by the Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill currently going through parliament. Despite this, the White Paper also hints at further legislation covering asylum policy that will build on the Border Security Bill. 

Key changes are proposed to the Skilled Worker visa route in the White Paper. Among these include increasing the salary threshold, education requirements to degree level and the suspension of the Shortage Occupation List. The latter permitted lower salary thresholds for in-demand roles. These changes will particularly impact mid-skilled, non-graduate workers, including in construction, hospitality and logistics, where employers have often recruited through the skilled worker route. 

The proposed changes also include severe restrictions for health and care visas. Following a transition period ending in 2029, no new care visas will be issued for overseas care workers. Employers will also have to demonstrate they have already attempted to recruit workers who are already in the country before they can offer roles internationally. 

International students are also subject to significant changes. Under the current regime, the Graduate Visa allows students to remain in the Britain for up to two years upon finishing their studies. Labour is now planning to limit this to 18 months and asking graduates to show they are working in a job appropriate to their educational level within six months. 

Some of the most contentious proposals are linked to the extension of pathways to permanent settlement and citizenship. Under the new proposals, to obtain indefinite leave to remain (ILR), most people will need to reside in the Britain for ten years, up from five years. ILR is already required before a citizenship application can be made. In practice, this automatically makes the time to become a citizen longer. 

The Home Office will also tighten the so-called ‘good character test’ to include more minor criminal or civil offences that might mean someone will become ineligible, and will look into changes to the ‘Life in the UK’ test. These are the 24 questions you are subject to answer under 45 minutes of exam conditions to show you understand and are immersed in ‘British life and traditions’. Topics include politics, national holidays and general knowledge. 

These changes to long-term settlement policies and citizenship are framed around an increased emphasis on ‘contribution’ and ‘integration’, implying that these are rights that have to be ‘earned’ over a longer period of time. However, policy experts generally argue that longer routes to settlement and citizenship are counter-productive for integration, risk trapping people in situations of destitution and precarity for longer. A pertinent example of this is increasing the timeframe someone will have ‘no recourse to public funds’ without ILR. It might disincentivise people to stay in the Britain longer term. 

Given the overarching framing of the White Paper as measures to reduce net migration, and a shift in political discourse that is looking at the impacts of migration as costing too much in the long term, as people might become more dependent on the NHS or welfare benefits as they age, it is obvious that these measures are designed to discourage people from making the Britain their permanent home. 

In his foreword to the White Paper, Keir Starmer wrote that, under previous governments, ‘Britain became a one-nation experiment in open borders’ and that the failure to control migration has led to ‘incalculable damage’ to the country, including by putting public services and housing under pressure.

It shows the urgent need for socialists to make interventions in public discourse and organising that show who is truly responsible for declining living standards: politicians who vote through austerity, greedy developers and landlords and bosses who exploit and underpay workers to line their pockets with profits.