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 ↗ · 14 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 10 Jun 2025
Announced Residency

Migration Advisory Committee recommends reducing family-visa threshold

The MAC's statutory review of the family-visa financial requirement, published in June 2025, concluded that the £29,000 threshold is high by international standards and recommended a more reasonable range of £23,000–£25,000 for most partners. The Labour government is considering the recommendations; no implementation decision has been published as of April 2026.

Who it affects: UK residents planning future partner-visa applications; signals potential near-term reduction.

Migration Advisory Committee ↗ · House of Commons Library — Research Briefings ↗ · 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 22 Jul 2024
Repealed Residency

Rwanda removals scheme formally abandoned by Labour government

Shortly after taking office, the Labour government formally ended the UK–Rwanda asylum-removals scheme. Planned removals did not take place; Rwanda-scheme infrastructure and associated Treaty arrangements were wound down. Related components of the Illegal Migration Act that depended on the scheme became operationally inert.

Who it affects: Asylum-seeker processing; broader political signalling on asylum policy direction.

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

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 Residency

Family visa minimum income threshold raised from £18,600 to £29,000

Effective 11 April 2024, the income threshold for sponsoring a partner on a family visa rose from £18,600 (in place since 2012) to £29,000. The previous Conservative government committed to further increases — to ~£34,000 and then ~£38,700 — which were not implemented. The Labour government has paused further increases pending the Migration Advisory Committee review.

Who it affects: UK residents sponsoring non-UK partners on family visas from 11 April 2024 onwards. Not retrospective.

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

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 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

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

In force 20 Jul 2023
In force Residency

Illegal Migration Act 2023 receives Royal Assent

The Act imposed a statutory duty on the Home Secretary to remove anyone arriving in the UK irregularly and provided the framework for third-country removals. Many of its provisions depended on the Rwanda scheme, which was subsequently held unlawful by the Supreme Court in November 2023 and formally abandoned by the Labour government in July 2024. Parts of the Act remain in force but its practical impact has been substantially reduced.

Who it affects: Asylum seekers arriving through irregular routes; broader policy signal on UK approach to asylum.

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