Changes to the Immigration Rules made by the UK Labour Government came into force on 22 July. The Scottish Government said the tightening up on immigration, a power retained by the London Government, ‘ will hinder the prosperity of Scotland. ‘

Changes have been made to the Skilled Worker and other work routes. The Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP) is now closed to new principal applications.

Kaukab Stewart, Minister for Migration, in the Scottish Government said:

“These changes will prevent, rather than promote, economic growth. By increasing the salary threshold for skilled worker visas, it will become harder for people to choose to work in Scotland, hurting businesses in turn.

“The UK Government should listen to the large majority of businesses who support a Scottish visa to allow migrants to make a positive contribution to Scotland’s economy, public services and communities.”

The Scottish Government would like to have a slightly different system of migration for Scotland because of its demographic make-up. This would include a Rural Visa Pilot and a Scottish Graduate Visa.

The ARAP was set up 4 years ago for Afghan citizens who worked for or with the UK Government in Afghanistan in exposed or meaningful roles. By 31 March 2025,  21,316 Afghans and their family members had been relocated to the UK. However, it was revealed this week that a British soldier emailed a spreadsheet containing the personal information of about 18,700 Afghans and their relatives – a total of about 33,000 people – to the wrong recipients in February 2022.  The soldier was under the command of General Sir Gwyn Jenkins, who was director of special forces at the time and now heads the British Navy.

Click on this link for more information about Changes to UK visa and settlement rules after the 2025 immigration white paper

And from Citizens Advice, How changes to immigration rules might affect you

Fiona Grahame

---