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

7 results

6 Recommendation Rejected

37th Report - Immigration: Skilled…

Improve visa customer service, publishing performance scorecard for all applications and setting stretching targets.

The Home Office has not done enough to understand the experience of customers and improve the service they receive. The Home Office has achieved good performance in managing ‘straightforward’ applications – processing 94% of these within its service standards in … Read more The Home Office has not done enough to understand the experience of customers and improve the service they receive. The Home Office has achieved good performance in managing ‘straightforward’ applications – processing 94% of these within its service standards in 2023 and 2024 (970,000 cases). However, it takes much longer to process applications on which the applicant has not provided all of the information and further checks are needed to make a decision – which represented 18% of applications between the end of 2021 and 2024 (330,000 cases). The Home Office refers to these as ‘complex’ applications, it removes these from its public reporting and has no target processing time. Further, the Home Office does not have reliable data on the processing times for ‘complex’ cases and sponsor licence applications, which means it does not fully understand its performance. The Home Office’s target of 80% of applicants being satisfied with the application service illustrates a lack of ambition, suggesting it is content with one in five of its customers being dissatisfied. It is not doing enough to understand the customer perspective and make improvements to its service, including addressing concerns from applicants and sponsors about complicated guidance and poor customer support. Applicants and sponsors are also unable to track the progress of their applications, which is the cause of many complaints about the service. The Home Office’s planned transformation of its sponsorship system has also been delayed and it needs to address operational issues with the IT system used for processing visa applications. recommendation In its Treasury Minute response to this report, the Home Office should set out how it is improving its customer service. As part of this, it should: • develop and publish a balanced scorecard showing its performance in processing all applications (including ‘complex’ cases) and providing a good customer service; • set and publish more stretching targets for cu Show less

Government Response

The government disagrees with the recommendation, explaining that complex cases are excluded from published service standards and that it already publishes customer satisfaction scores and uses KPIs. It does note the recent launch of a visa processing times tool and is testing a new sponsorship system, but these are not framed as fulfilling the specific requests of the recommendation.

HM Treasury

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33 Conclusion Rejected

37th Report - Immigration: Skilled…

Home Office processes most straightforward visa applications within service standards, nearing targets.

The Home Office has performed well when processing ‘straightforward’ skilled worker visa applications.92 These are applications where the applicant has met all obligations and provided the necessary information.93 In 2023 and 2024, it processed 94% of these cases (970,200 out … Read more

Government Response

The government disagrees with the committee's conclusion on processing performance, explaining that complex cases are excluded from published service standards and outlining the reasons for such exclusions and where further details can be found.

HM Treasury

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34 Conclusion Rejected

37th Report - Immigration: Skilled…

Home Office excludes complex cases from processing statistics, with significant delays for many.

The Home Office marks cases as ‘complex’ for reasons such as the customer not supplying the correct information, third party checks being required or the applicant having a pending prosecution. The times taken to process these cases are not included … Read more

Government Response

The government disagrees with the implied recommendation, stating that complex cases are excluded from published Service Standards, but service level agreements for Skilled Worker visas are published, and reasons for complex cases are available on GOV.UK.

HM Treasury

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35 Conclusion Rejected

37th Report - Immigration: Skilled…

Proportion of complex visa cases increased during peak application periods due to scrutiny.

We asked the Home Office why the proportion of ‘complex’ cases increased during periods when it received large numbers of visa applications.98 Between the end of 2021 and 2024, it has marked 18% of applications (330,000 cases) as ‘complex’, but … Read more

Government Response

HM Treasury

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36 Conclusion Rejected

37th Report - Immigration: Skilled…

Lack of transparency and targets for complex cases risks their deprioritisation.

We asked the Home Office whether there was a need for greater transparency and improvement targets, for ‘complex’ cases. This is important as the absence of a service level agreement for ‘complex’ cases creates a risk that the Home Office … Read more

Government Response

The government disagrees with the implied recommendation, stating that complex cases are excluded from published Service Standards, but Skilled Worker visas have service level agreements and reasons for complexity are outlined on GOV.UK.

HM Treasury

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38 Conclusion Rejected

37th Report - Immigration: Skilled…

Home Office lacks ambition and effective data use for customer service improvement.

We were concerned that the Home Office lacked ambition in improving its customer service. Its target of 80% of customers being satisfied with the application process implies it is content with one in five of its customers being dissatisfied. The … Read more

Government Response

The government disagrees with the implied recommendation, stating that it publishes customer satisfaction scores, aims to maximise them, uses KPIs to benchmark performance, and embeds customer insight and experience to drive continuous improvement.

HM Treasury

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40 Recommendation Rejected

37th Report - Immigration: Skilled…

Home Office significantly delayed sponsorship system transformation, necessitating IT operational issue resolution.

We asked the Home Office about progress with efforts to transform the sponsorship system, which include the development of IT systems. The Home Office has delayed replacement of the sponsorship system from 2023 to 2028 and accepted that its existing … Read more

Government Response

The government explicitly disagrees with the committee's recommendation to address operational issues with the visa application IT system and make further changes. It states it is committed to continuous improvement, testing a partial version of a new sponsorship system, and investing in maintaining its existing system.

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