Global Instability and UK Immigration Options

In recent times, the world stage has been marked by significant upheaval, with political and economic tensions brewing across several continents. The wars in Ukraine and Gaza, and now the war with Iran, which is being felt throughout the Middle East, have all contributed to a sense of greater global instability, not least through rising prices for oil, food and other goods, and the recent attacks on the Gulf states.

The current wave of global instability is prompting many to seek greater security and certainty for themselves and their families. Factors driving families to leave their home country can include the erosion of civil liberties, high rates of violence, and volatile job markets.  

For many, the UK’s established legal system, access to quality, lower cost healthcare and education, and its reputation for upholding human rights make it a particularly attractive destination. These factors combine to create a strong pull for those seeking a fresh start amidst ongoing global upheaval.

At the same time, UK immigration policy has become substantially more restrictive in the recent past, with an apparent policy goal to reduce net migration substantially. Arguably this has been in response to perceived public support for “anti-immigration” and populist agenda setting by politicians, media and commentators, with a particular focus on the number of migrants arriving via small boats crossing the Channel, and claiming asylum.

Minimum skill and salary requirements for the Skilled Worker route have increased to degree-level roles and £41,700 per year. Government fees now total about £20,000 for a five-year visa for a family of three, excluding sponsorship costs. Policy changes have led to a 78% drop in net migration fell 78% over the two years ending June 2025 and continues to fall. One thinktank has warned that zero net migration could knock 3.7% off the UK’s annual national income. Migrant numbers for work, study, and family routes have decreased significantly, but small boat arrivals remain unchanged.

The Government have made ‘earned settlement’ proposals, which they expect to implement in Autumn 2026, to extend the baseline qualifying period for indefinite leave to remain (ILR) or permanent residence from five years to ten, which could drive up already substantial visa fees, and result in longer periods of uncertainty for those on temporary visas seeking to eventually settle in the UK. The proposals are likely to apply retrospectively to those already on visa routes in the UK.

UK Immigration Options

Against this backdrop of global instability, the UK nonetheless continues to offer options for those seeking safety and opportunity. As migration policies continue to evolve, this overview examines the main pathways for moving to the UK and considers how future policy changes could affect these options.

Highly skilled talent

The Government has an ongoing focus on developing policy to attract and retain global talent, recognising this as central to the UK’s economic and industrial strategy, enabling it to compete internationally. It particularly wishes to attract talent in the science, tech, research and creative industries, and entrepreneurs.

Current routes for the highly skilled are:

Global talent

Open to those who are leaders or potential leaders in a specialist field, such as science, engineering, medicine, digital technology, research, architecture and design, and the arts.

Pros:

• Highly attractive as holders can work in any job or be self-employed.
• Does not require sponsorship.
• Holders can apply for settlement after three years in the ‘talent’ category or five years in the ‘promise’ category.
• Likely that Global Talent holders will still be able to settle after three years in the UK following the earned settlement proposals, although they may need to earn a minimum amount.

Cons:

• Requires an endorsement from an endorsing body.
• Certain endorsing bodies can be more stringent than others in enforcing their criteria, which can make the outcome uncertain.

Skilled worker

Open to workers skilled in degree level roles (with some exceptions), with a job offer and a sponsor.

Pros:

• Lower bar to entry than Global Talent – sponsor needs to have a degree level skilled role available and pay the required minimum salary for that role, requirements which many skilled jobs will meet.
• Currently leads to settlement after five years.
• Under the earned settlement proposals, those who have earned at least £50,270 over the past three years will still be eligible to settle after five years.

Cons:

• Requires sponsorship, which carries within it significant fees and red tape for the sponsor.
• Ties the holder to their sponsor, although they can apply to switch sponsors.
• Under the earned settlement proposals those earning less than £50,270 in the previous three years may need to extend for up to ten years in order to settle in the UK.
• Can be prohibitive for owner-founders, due to strict restrictions on sponsored workers making investments in the sponsoring business.

Innovator Founder

Open to experienced and highly successful entrepreneurs with an endorsement from one of the endorsing bodies.

Pros

• If successful, the holder can work for their own business and does not require a sponsor.
• Leads to settlement after three years (but see cons regarding strict criteria).
• Likely that Innovator Founders will still be able to settle after three years in the UK following the earned settlement proposals, although they may need to earn a minimum amount.

Cons:

• High bar to entry – must have a business plan which is innovative, viable, and scalable, which are difficult tests to meet.
• Must meet stringent criteria to be eligible to settle, including for example employing five people each on salaries of £25,000 per year.

High Potential Individual

Open to graduates from the global top 100 or so universities outside the UK who have graduated in the last five years.

Pros:

• Two year visa, or three years if the person has a PhD.
• Can work for any employer, or in a self-employed capacity.
• Allows time to find longer term sponsorship in a category which leads to settlement.

Cons:

• Does not lead to settlement.

Graduate

Open to those who have graduated from UK university.

Pros:

• Two year visa, or three years if the person has a PhD. From January 2027, will only be granted for 18 months instead of two years.
• Can work for any employer, or in a self-employed capacity.
• Allows time to find longer term sponsorship in a category which leads to settlement.

Cons:

• Does not lead to settlement.
• When switching from Graduate to Skilled Worker, the sponsor is not exempt from the Immigration Skills Charge, whereas those switching from the Student visa are exempt.

The government announced measures earlier this year to:

• reimburse visa fees for skills aligned with deep tech, innovation and research and development, including AI, Quantum and Semi-conductors
• widen access for those with relevant academic or research roles and those in industry

The independent public body, the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC), have put out a call for evidence on the Global Talent and Innovator Founder routes, which would suggest they consider these routes can be improved. It has commissioned itself to review more widely how to attract talent to the UK.

The earned settlement proposals may require dependant partners to earn £12,570 and wait ten years before qualifying for settlement, with possible reductions for volunteering, or work in a public service role. This could deter some from moving to the UK and encourage talent to seek countries with more flexible visa options, unless carve outs are built in for top talent.

Family routes

The main family routes are:

• The five-year route for a partner, parent or child of a British or settled person, a person with protection status, or an EEA national with status under the EU Settlement Scheme, who meets the immigration rule requirements
• The ten-year route for a partner, parent or child, who does not meet all the immigration rule requirements, but for whom various exceptional circumstances apply. This includes
  • the parent of a child who is British and has lived in the UK for the past seven years, where it would not be reasonable to expect the child to leave the UK
  • the partner of a British or settled person, and there are insurmountable obstacles to family life with that partner continuing outside the UK, that is, very significant difficulties would be faced in continuing the relationship outside the UK, which could not be overcome, or would entail very serious hardship for the applicant or their partner.
• The adult dependent relative route – this is an extremely difficult route to acquire status in. It is for a person sponsored by a British or settled person, where the relative requires long-term personal care to perform everyday tasks due to age, illness or disability, and where that care is either not available or not affordable in the country where they are living. It is a very high threshold to meet.
• The partner and children of those in the UK under the EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS) can join under the terms of the Scheme, as long as the relationship was subsisting as at 31 December 2020. Children born after that date can join as well. The terms of the EUSS are far more flexible than the rules which govern the partners of British or settled persons (Appendix FM). Those family members who do not qualify for the EUSS as joining family members must apply under Appendix FM.

Partner or child of British and settled persons

The partner or child must demonstrate their relationship to the British or settled person. Additional proof of the relationship is generally needed for those recently married or civil partnered at the time of applying, to show a genuine serious relationship.

Unmarried partners normally need to show that they have been in a committed relationship akin to marriage lasting at least two years. If they have not been living together throughout that time, they will need to provide substantial evidence that their relationship has been a serious one for the past two years.

A financial requirement must be met, which can be problematic for many wishing to apply. Partners must show a minimum income of £29,000 or alternatively savings of £88,500 held over the previous six months. It is not permitted to rely on the salary of the applicant, only the partner, when applying from outside the UK, which can cause problems and disproportionately impact women.

The family must be able to show that they can accommodate themselves in the UK without overcrowding.

Currently, partners can settle in five years. However, the proposals for earned settlement may require a minimum income of £12,570 for partners for three to five years before applying, in addition to the minimum income requirement detailed above. If implemented, this could disproportionately affect women, primary caregivers, freelancers and low earners by delaying settlement eligibility.

Citizenship

Those born outside the UK to a British parent, who themselves were born in the UK, or naturalised as British following a period of residence, will be automatically British by descent. A person who is automatically British does not need to apply for British Citizenship and can immediately apply for a British Passport, which is much cheaper. They will need to provide documents with their passport application to prove that they are British.

If a child is born outside the UK to a parent who is British by descent, that is, the parent was born to a British person who themselves was born or naturalised in the UK (the child’s grandparent), the child can be registered as a British citizen before they turn 18, if either in the three years ending with the child’s date of birth, the parent lived in the UK with limited absences, or if the family live in the UK for three years at any stage after the child’s birth (while they are still a child), and the child and have limited absences from the UK. The partner and child would need to come to the UK on the family route, but the child could then register after they have been in the UK for three years.

To acquire citizenship as an adult by naturalisation, the person needs to have acquired ILR and have lived in the UK for five years (or three years if they are married to a British citizen), with limited absences from the UK, be of good character, and have met the English language and Life in the UK test requirements.

Conclusion

The interplay of global political crises and shifting migration policies has created unpredictability for those seeking to relocate. Policy makers in the UK increasingly recognise the benefits of making relocation easier for highly skilled and entrepreneurial migrants, and the government appears to be seeking targeted approaches to achieve this.

Although UK immigration routes have been tightened, there are still many options available for those wishing to move to the UK, some of which we have covered above. Successfully navigating the process requires careful preparation and staying up-to-date with frequent policy changes. This is especially true with the new earned settlement proposals, as both advisors and migrants must consider plans that are not yet clearly defined, where even minor changes to the proposals could affect whether certain groups can settle in five or ten years.

While countries like the UK are tightening their immigration controls, they also recognise that to succeed as a global leader in fields such as science and tech, and as a world class economy, they need to attract talented individuals, to access innovation, knowledge transfer, and for fiscal benefits and increased productivity. This may lead to relaxed visa policies in targeted sectors, including easier settlement options within five years, making the UK more appealing to desirable applicants.

Five Key Steps

If you wish to move to the UK, we recommend that you consider the following steps:

1. Prepare as early as six to twelve months in advance if possible, including identifying the most appropriate visa route, and considering what options are available for dependant partners and children. This may be necessary, for example, to earn the necessary income to meet the partner financial requirement, or for an employer to obtain a sponsor licence.

2. Obtain immigration advice as early on as possible where needed. There is so much to consider when relocating, including areas to live, jobs, housing and schools. The visa can seem a procedural requirement, but it can delay everything else if not considered early enough.

3. Budget for visa costs. If you need to meet savings or maintenance requirements, ensure that payments will not take you below the necessary threshold.

4. Evaluate now whether settlement and citizenship is a priority and what the requirements are. If so, it is important to stay informed about current settlement proposals, as their effects may differ significantly depending on implementation

5. Monitor updates to immigration policies, which are known for frequent and sometimes abrupt changes; these shifts may necessitate submitting applications sooner or could introduce new opportunities.

The material in this article is provided for guidance and general information only and is not intended to constitute legal or other professional advice upon which you should rely. In particular, the information should not be used as a substitute for a full and proper consultation with a suitably qualified professional. Please do contact the Bates Wells team if you require further information.