UK Visa Changes and the Impact on IMG Doctors

At the time it was announced, international doctors were exempt from the specific measures set out below.

Overview of the Changes

The plan aims to bring about the largest reduction in net migration ever seen. The key elements include reducing the number of dependants allowed entry, increasing minimum salary requirements for overseas workers and family sponsors, and addressing exploitation within the immigration framework. These measures are projected to prevent approximately 300,000 people, who could have entered the UK last year, from doing so under the new rules.

More specifically:

• Minimum salary requirements for spouse or family visa will rise to £38,700. What happened: the threshold rose to £29,000 on 11 April 2024 and has stayed there. The announced staged increases to £34,500 and then £38,700 were never brought into force, and the Migration Advisory Committee recommended a lower range in June 2025. Anyone who first applied before 11 April 2024 and is extending stays on the old £18,600 threshold.
• Care workers will not be able to bring their partner or children as dependents. What happened: this took effect on 11 March 2024. It has never applied to doctors, who can still bring dependants. 
• Health surcharge rising to £1,035. What happened: this took effect on 6 February 2024 and the rate is still £1,035. Health and Care Worker visa holders and their dependants remain exempt from paying it altogether. 
• The Shortage Occupation List will be reformed and the current 20% going rate salary discount for shortage occupations will be abolished. What happened: the Shortage Occupation List was replaced by the Immigration Salary List on 4 April 2024 and the 20% discount went with it. The Immigration Salary List is itself due to expire at the end of 2026.

Changes to Health and Care Worker Visa

One of the critical areas of focus is the Health and Care Worker visa. The government plans to restrict overseas care workers from bringing their dependants to the UK (not applicable to doctors). Additionally, care providers in England will be limited to sponsoring migrant workers engaged in activities regulated by the Care Quality Commission. This tightening follows the issuance of over 100,000 Health and Care Worker visas in the year ending September 2023, along with a considerable number of dependant visas.

Minimum Salary Thresholds

The general earnings threshold for overseas workers rose from £26,200 to £38,700 in April 2024 and again to £41,700 in July 2025. This still does not bite on doctors, because the Health and Care Worker route keeps a separate threshold of £25,000 for health and education occupations paid on a national pay scale, alongside the relevant medical and dental going rate. This move is intended to encourage businesses to prioritize British talent and invest in their workforce. The minimum income requirement for British citizens and settled residents who wish to bring family members to the UK will also see a rise. This overall approach reinforces the expectation that those wishing to work and live in the UK must be self-sufficient and contribute to the economy without burdening the state.

To address the issue of low-cost labor from overseas, the government will eliminate the 20% salary discount for shortage occupations and introduce a new Immigration Salary List. The Migration Advisory Committee will review this list against the increased salary thresholds to reduce the number of occupations eligible for the discount.

Graduates and Student Visas

Further, the Graduate visa route will undergo a review to ensure it aligns with the best interests of the UK and to prevent potential abuses.

These new measures build on previous actions to reduce the number of students bringing dependants to the UK. This change, effective in the new year, is expected to significantly impact net migration, considering the 153,000 visas issued to dependants of sponsored students in the year ending September 2023.

The Home Secretaries’ Statement

The Home Secretary, James Cleverly, emphasized the necessity of these measures to reduce net migration and relieve pressure on British workers and public services. He highlighted the importance of prioritizing the domestic workforce, as outlined in the government's Back to Work Plan.

Here is his full statement:

In Summary

International doctors were exempt from the specific December 2023 measures set out above. Later reforms do reach doctors, though, so a blanket exemption is no longer a safe assumption. Salary thresholds across the Skilled Worker and Health and Care Worker routes were uprated in July 2025, and from 8 January 2026 new applicants have to meet English at CEFR level B2 rather than B1. Most doctors are unaffected by that last one, because the immigration rules let you meet the English requirement through the OET or IELTS result the GMC already accepts for registration, but it is worth checking the current position rather than assuming nothing applies to you.