Meridian · Freshness tracker

What's changed.

Dated updates to visa, tax, residency, citizenship, housing, and labour policy across every country tracked. Every entry cites its primary source and the date we last verified it.

Subscribe via RSS ↗ · 18 entries shown

Country All countriesAQAntarcticaAUAustraliaBRBrazilCACanadaCNChina (Mainland)EGEgyptFRFranceDEGermanyHKHong KongIEIrelandITItalyJPJapanMXMexicoMAMoroccoNLNetherlandsNZNew ZealandPTPortugalSGSingaporeZASouth AfricaKRSouth KoreaESSpainAEUnited Arab EmiratesGBUnited KingdomUSUnited States
Category All categoriesVisa & immigrationResidencyCitizenshipTaxationLabourHousingHealthcareOther
In force 22 Jul 2025
In force Visa & immigration

Skilled Worker threshold raised again to £41,700

Second increase in 15 months: the general Skilled Worker salary threshold rose from £38,700 to £41,700 on 22 July 2025. Going-rate thresholds for specific occupations were similarly re-indexed to updated ASHE (Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings) percentiles.

Who it affects: New Skilled Worker applicants from 22 July 2025 onwards; sponsor employers planning hires.

GOV.UK — Home Office ↗ · UK Visas and Immigration ↗ · Migration Advisory Committee ↗ · verified 2026-04-19

In force 2 Apr 2025
In force Visa & immigration

ETA becomes mandatory for European visitors

From 2 April 2025, citizens of EU countries (and several additional European jurisdictions) require an ETA for short visits to the UK. Completes the phased rollout that began with Gulf states in late 2023. Irish citizens remain exempt under the Common Travel Area.

Who it affects: All European visa-free travellers to the UK from 2 April 2025 onwards.

GOV.UK — Home Office ↗ · UK Visas and Immigration ↗ · verified 2026-04-19

In force 2 Apr 2025
In force Visa & immigration

Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) extended to all non-visa nationals

The ETA scheme, first launched for Qatari nationals in late 2023, was rolled out to most non-visa-required countries through 2024-2025: Gulf Cooperation Council nationals from early 2024, remaining non-European visa-free nationals (including the US, Canada, and Australia) from January 2025, and European non-visa-required nationals from 2 April 2025. ETA costs £16 (rising to £10 then back) and lasts two years.

Who it affects: Short-stay visitors to the UK from non-visa-required countries.

Home Office ↗ · GOV.UK ↗ · UK Visas and Immigration ↗ · verified 2026-04-21

In force 12 Mar 2025
In force Visa & immigration

Care-worker overseas recruitment sharply restricted

From 12 March 2025, sponsors of overseas care workers on the Health and Care visa must first demonstrate that displaced care workers already in the UK have been considered for the role. The change, combined with earlier dependant-ban rules from March 2024, sharply reduced new Health and Care visas for care-worker occupations.

Who it affects: Care providers recruiting from overseas; overseas care workers pursuing UK placement.

Home Office ↗ · GOV.UK ↗ · verified 2026-04-21

In force 5 Jun 2024
In force Visa & immigration

High Potential Individual eligible universities list updated

The Home Office updated the list of eligible universities for the High Potential Individual (HPI) visa in June 2024. The HPI visa offers two- or three-year post-study work rights for recent graduates from a narrow list of globally top-ranked universities (graduates need not have studied in the UK).

Who it affects: Recent graduates of top-ranked non-UK universities seeking UK work rights without a sponsor.

Home Office ↗ · GOV.UK ↗ · verified 2026-04-21

In force 14 May 2024
In force Visa & immigration

Graduate Route retained after MAC review

Following a commissioned Migration Advisory Committee rapid review, the Graduate Route — which grants post-study work rights for two or three years — was retained unchanged in May 2024, resisting earlier pressure to restrict it. The MAC found the route was working as intended, with evidence of limited abuse.

Who it affects: International students on or entering UK-degree courses; their post-study work options.

Home Office ↗ · GOV.UK ↗ · verified 2026-04-21

In force 14 May 2024
In force Visa & immigration

MAC review of Graduate Route concludes it should be retained

The Migration Advisory Committee's rapid review of the Graduate Route, commissioned by the Conservative government amid speculation it would be closed, concluded in May 2024 that the route should remain. The MAC found that the Graduate Route supports the financial sustainability of UK higher education and that evidence of widespread abuse was not present. The review recommended tighter compliance on student-recruitment agents but not route closure.

Who it affects: International graduates of UK universities and the institutions that depend on them.

Migration Advisory Committee ↗ · GOV.UK — Home Office ↗ · verified 2026-04-19

In force 11 Apr 2024
In force Visa & immigration

Family (partner) visa minimum income rises to £29,000

The minimum-income requirement for Family visas sponsoring a spouse or partner rose from £18,600 to £29,000 on 11 April 2024, with a further phased rise to £38,700 previously indicated. The 2024 general election outcome paused further rises pending a Migration Advisory Committee review reporting in 2025.

Who it affects: British and settled residents seeking to sponsor a non-UK partner.

Home Office ↗ · GOV.UK ↗ · verified 2026-04-21

In force 4 Apr 2024
In force Visa & immigration

Shortage Occupation List replaced by Immigration Salary List

On 4 April 2024, the Shortage Occupation List was replaced by a narrower Immigration Salary List (ISL) that retains a 20% salary discount for roles on the list but does not discount fees. The ISL covers fewer occupations than the SOL it replaced; MAC reviews the list annually.

Who it affects: Sponsored workers in occupations previously on the SOL; sponsoring employers.

Home Office ↗ · GOV.UK ↗ · verified 2026-04-21

In force 4 Apr 2024
In force Visa & immigration

Immigration Salary List replaces the Shortage Occupation List

On 4 April 2024 the Immigration Salary List replaced the long-standing Shortage Occupation List. The new list grants a 20% discount on the general Skilled Worker salary threshold (not on the going rate for the role). Scope is deliberately narrower than the old SOL; many roles previously listed — including some tech and creative roles — are no longer included.

Who it affects: Skilled Worker applicants in shortage occupations; employers in sectors that previously enjoyed SOL concessions.

Migration Advisory Committee ↗ · GOV.UK — Home Office ↗ · verified 2026-04-19

In force 4 Apr 2024
In force Visa & immigration

Skilled Worker minimum salary raised to £38,700

From 4 April 2024, the general Skilled Worker minimum salary threshold rose from £26,200 to £38,700 — a 48% increase. The "going rate" for each occupation was also updated to the 50th (rather than 25th) percentile. Transitional arrangements protect most existing Skilled Worker holders on extensions and change-of-employment applications.

Who it affects: New Skilled Worker applicants and sponsoring employers; health and care visa holders remained on separate rules.

Home Office ↗ · GOV.UK ↗ · UK Visas and Immigration ↗ · verified 2026-04-21

In force 4 Apr 2024
In force Visa & immigration

Skilled Worker general salary threshold raised from £26,200 to £38,700

The largest single uplift in the history of the Skilled Worker route. The general threshold rose from £26,200 to £38,700 on 4 April 2024 (a ~48% increase), aligned with the 50th percentile of UK full-time earnings. Existing Skilled Worker visa holders before the change retain a reduced threshold of £29,000 under transitional rules.

Who it affects: New Skilled Worker visa applicants from 4 April 2024 onwards.

GOV.UK — Home Office ↗ · House of Commons Library — Research Briefings ↗ · verified 2026-04-19

In force 11 Mar 2024
In force Visa & immigration

Care workers and senior care workers can no longer bring dependants

From 11 March 2024, new applicants to the Health and Care Worker visa in care-worker or senior-care-worker roles cannot bring their partner or children as dependants. Care sponsors must also be registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC). Aimed at reducing net migration via what the Conservative government described as "the social care route". Does not affect nurses, doctors, or other clinical roles.

Who it affects: New care-worker and senior-care-worker visa applicants from 11 March 2024.

GOV.UK — Home Office ↗ · UK Visas and Immigration ↗ · verified 2026-04-19

In force 22 Feb 2024
In force Visa & immigration

Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) expands to Gulf states

Phased rollout of the UK's ETA visitor pre-clearance system. Required for short-visit entry from Qatar (from 22 November 2023), Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, UAE, Saudi Arabia (from 22 February 2024), and subsequently to a wider range of non-visa nationals through 2024–2025. £10 per application, valid 2 years.

Who it affects: Visa-free travellers from Gulf and other non-visa-national jurisdictions visiting the UK.

GOV.UK — Home Office ↗ · UK Visas and Immigration ↗ · verified 2026-04-19

In force 6 Feb 2024
In force Visa & immigration

Immigration Health Surcharge raised to £1,035 per year

The IHS — payable upfront per person for the full duration of a UK visa — rose from £624 to £1,035 per year on 6 February 2024 (a 66% increase). Discounted rates for under-18s, students, and Youth Mobility Scheme entrants rose from £470 to £776. Health and Care Worker visa holders remain exempt. A 5-year Skilled Worker visa with a partner and two children now costs over £20,000 in IHS alone.

Who it affects: All non-UK visa applicants requiring entry clearance or leave to remain — material cost factor.

GOV.UK — Home Office ↗ · verified 2026-04-19

In force 6 Feb 2024
In force Visa & immigration

Standard UK visa application fees increased 15–35% across the board

Alongside the IHS rise, the Home Office increased most standard visa application fees by 15–35% on 6 February 2024 — e.g. Skilled Worker main-applicant fee from £719 to £827 for up to 3 years' leave, and substantially more for longer leave. Visitor visas also rose proportionally. Fees continue to be re-indexed annually.

Who it affects: All UK visa applicants from 6 February 2024 onwards.

GOV.UK — Home Office ↗ · verified 2026-04-19

In force 1 Jan 2024
In force Visa & immigration

Most international students barred from bringing family dependants

From 1 January 2024, international students on courses below research-postgraduate level can no longer bring dependants on their Student visa. Partners and children of taught-master's students lost dependant-visa eligibility. The change delivered the single largest reduction in UK net migration for 2024.

Who it affects: International students on taught-master's and undergraduate courses; their partners and children.

Home Office ↗ · GOV.UK ↗ · verified 2026-04-21

In force 1 Jan 2024
In force Visa & immigration

International students can no longer bring dependants (except PhD)

From 1 January 2024, most international students on the Student visa route can no longer bring partner or child dependants to the UK. PhD students and government-sponsored students retain the right to bring dependants. Designed to reduce net migration in the student-visa category.

Who it affects: International students starting courses from January 2024 onwards.

GOV.UK — Home Office ↗ · House of Commons Library — Research Briefings ↗ · verified 2026-04-19