UK Inquiry Tracker

Immigration: Skilled worker visas

Public Accounts Committee Closed Inquiry

Opened: 26 Mar 2025 Closed: 22 Sep 2025 Parliament page

In 2020, following the UK’s exit from the EU, the Government introduced the skilled worker visa route, now the main route for people to apply to work in the UK. The Government aims to use the system to attract the skills the country needs and to support economic growth. The … Read more In 2020, following the UK’s exit from the EU, the Government introduced the skilled worker visa route, now the main route for people to apply to work in the UK. The Government aims to use the system to attract the skills the country needs and to support economic growth. The route was opened to care workers in 2022 following the pandemic, and eligibility requirements were implemented in Spring 2024 as part of attempts to reduce net migration. In 2023-24, 230,500 people applied to enter the UK as skilled workers, raising around £438m for the Government through visa fees. The PAC’s 2011 report on the points-based system designed to manage migration of workers from outside the European Economic Area warned that not enough was being done to protect resident workers and ensure that migrant workers and sponsoring employers complied with immigration rules. The National Audit Office reported on the skilled worker visa route in 2025 . Its report found that the route continues to support employers in recruiting overseas workers, though changes to the route in spring 2024 tightening entry requirements have been made without their impacts on different industries and parts of the country being fully assessed. Based on the NAO’s report, the PAC will hear from senior Home Office officials on subjects including the impact of the spring 2024 changes to the route, progress in bringing the digital elements of the system up-to-date, and how the Home Office ensures compliance within the system. If you have evidence on these issues please submit it here by 23:59 on Thursday 24 April 2025. Please look at the requirements for written evidence submissions and note that the Committee cannot accept material as evidence that is published elsewhere. Please note that the Committee’s inquiry cannot assist with individual cases. If you need help with an individual problem you are having, you may wish to read the information on Parliament’s website about who you can contact with different issues . Show less

6 Recommendations

34 Conclusions

1 Report

1 Oral session

3 Letters

1 Event

Activity timeline 7 events

1 Dec
2025

Correspondence

Letter from the Second Permanent Secretary at the Home Office relating to recommendation 6 of the Committee’s Report on Skilled worker visa…

1 Dec
2025

Correspondence

Letter from the Second Permanent Secretary at the Home Office and the Permanent Secretary at the Department for Health and Social Care rela…

24 Nov
2025

Correspondence

Letter from the Chair to the Permanent Secretary at the Home Office relating to Immigration: Skilled Worker visas – Treasury Minute, 17 Nov…

15 Oct
2025

Report published

Treasury minutes: Government response to the Committee of Public Accounts on the Thirty-seventh report from Session 2024-26

4 Jul
2025

Report published

37th Report - Immigration: Skilled worker visas

8 May
2025

Oral evidence

Oral evidence session

8 May
2025

Formal meeting (oral evidence session) · The Grimond Room, Portcullis House

Committee event

Oral evidence sessions 1 session

8 May 2025

View on parliament.uk

Dame Antonia Romeo DCB · Ministry of Justice Dan Hobbs · Home Office Marc Owen CBE · Home Office Simon Ridley · Home Office

Reports 1 report · click to expand

Title	HC No.	Published	Items	Response
37th Report - Immigration: Skilled worker visas	HC 819	4 Jul 2025	40	Responded

Recommendations & Conclusions

4 results

7 Conclusion

37th Report - Immigration: Skilled…

Government has frequently changed Skilled Worker visa requirements to manage net migration.

Since 2021, the government has made a series of changes to entry requirements for Skilled Worker visas. In 2022, it expanded the route to respond to the needs of the care sector.7 In Spring 2024, the government tightened entry requirements … Read more

HM Treasury

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8 Recommendation Not Addressed

37th Report - Immigration: Skilled…

Home Office impact assessments for Skilled Worker visa route changes remain insufficient.

While changes to immigration rules are subject to collective government agreement, the Home Office is responsible for designing and implementing immigration policy.10 We asked the Home Office what work it had done to assess the impacts of changes to the … Read more

Government Response

The government agrees with the committee's recommendation but its response focuses on strengthening cross-government collaboration on labour market and skills through the Labour Market Evidence Group (LMEG) and the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC). It does not directly address the specific recommendation to improve impact assessments by including success criteria, evaluation plans, and compliance risks.

HM Treasury

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30 Conclusion Not Addressed

37th Report - Immigration: Skilled…

Home Office lacks understanding of care sector commissioning, burdening providers on vacancies.

We were concerned, however, that the Home Office did not fully understand commissioning arrangements in the care sector, which means it can be difficult for care providers to prove that they have guaranteed vacancies. In written evidence, the Homecare Association … Read more

Government Response

The government response cuts off mid-sentence and does not engage with the committee's concern that the Home Office does not fully understand commissioning arrangements in the care sector.

HM Treasury

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37 Conclusion Not Addressed

37th Report - Immigration: Skilled…

Home Office lacks reliable data on sponsor licence processing, causing recruitment delays.

The Home Office has met its service standards for processing sponsor licences within eight weeks, with the average processing time falling from 44 days in 2023 to 34 days in 2024.104 However, the Home Office does not have reliable data … Read more

Government Response

The government's response outlines its commitment to delivering an immigration system and testing a new sponsorship system, along with investing in the existing one. However, it does not directly address the committee's observation about the lack of reliable data on processing times for sponsor licences or understanding its performance.

HM Treasury

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Government Response AI assessment · 39 of 6 classified

Accepted 25

Acknowledged 3

Deferred 1

Not Addressed 3

Rejected 7

Total 6 recs + 34 conclusions

Correspondence 3 letters

1 Dec 2025 To committee Letter from the Second Permanent Secretary at the Home Office relating to recommendation 6 of the Committee’s Report on Skilled worker visas, 21 November 2025

Parliament page

1 Dec 2025 To committee Letter from the Second Permanent Secretary at the Home Office and the Permanent Secretary at the Department for Health and Social Care relating to recommendations 2 and 3 of the Committee’s Report on Skilled worker visas, 21 November 2025

Parliament page

24 Nov 2025 To committee Letter from the Chair to the Permanent Secretary at the Home Office relating to Immigration: Skilled Worker visas – Treasury Minute, 17 November 2025

Parliament page