🇬🇧 Work & skilled workers

The Home Office will make funding available to local authorities in England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland for supporting unaccompanied asylum-seeking children (UASC) during the financial year 1 April 2026 to 31 March 2027. Payments for each eligible UASC will be at a rate of £143 per child per night. Additional incentivised funding of £8,000 is available for transfers made within two working days (from 1 June 2026 to 30 September 2026), and £4,000 for transfers made within five working days (from 1 April 2026 to 30 November 2026) under the National Transfer Scheme (NTS). Funding ceases the day before the young person turns 18, or if the child is absent for more than 28 consecutive days (with an exception for hospital stays), or if the child is placed in a Young Offenders Institute (YOI) for more than 28 days.

The Very Important Person (VIP) Delegate visa allows government officials to enter the UK with a head of state or a serving government minister on an official visit. There is a limit on the number of delegates: up to 20 people with a head of state, and up to 10 people with a government minister. These limits can be combined if more than one eligible official is travelling (e.g., 30 delegates for a head of state and a government minister travelling together). The visa allows a single entry for the duration of the official visit (up to 1 month), plus 3 extra days before and after travel. Applicants must be 18 or over, a serving government official, and have a Note Verbale from their government confirming details and supporting the application. The application must be approved before travel. A digital record of exemption can be applied for, though not mandatory, to show exempt status to carriers. The application process is online, requires a passport-sized photo, and submission of the original passport and Note Verbale at a Visa Application Centre (VAC) in person. The visa is free, and decisions are aimed to be provided within 15 working days. The visa cannot be used for settlement, bringing dependents, studying, working, or switching to another visa route.

Individuals on immigration bail should complete a biodata form before attending their appointment at their reporting centre. The form requests information including family details, educational history, and past employment. Immigration officers may also ask individuals to complete the form at the reporting centre.

The caseworker guidance for Appendix International Forces and International Civilian Employees has been updated to reflect several changes. Specifically, the name Nauru has been changed to Naoero. Dependants of exempt international armed forces personnel are not automatically eligible to accompany them and must now apply for entry clearance. Civilian employees of the UK Ministry of Defence and the UK Armed Forces are explicitly out of scope for the International Civilian Employee route. The guidance also covers the introduction of exempt digital status to replace physical exempt vignettes and in-country requests for proof of exempt status. Additionally, references to 'Part Suitability' have replaced 'Part 9' in the Immigration Rules throughout the guidance, and the eligibility criteria for international civilian employees have been updated based on changes in HC 836.

The First-tier Tribunal will be expected to hear new asylum and immigration appeals from non-detained foreign national offenders (FNOs) and individuals in receipt of asylum support and accommodation within 24 weeks of being received by the tribunal.

The Home Office has published an updated version of the sponsor register, reflecting the latest sponsor-licence information as of 14 August 2026. The page shows that the register was also updated repeatedly throughout July and August, demonstrating that this is a continuously maintained dataset rather than a one-time policy change.

For identity verification for SELT tests taken in the UK, an eVisa can be used by signing into a UKVI account and getting a share code. If unable to access an eVisa, an expired biometric residence permit (BRP) or an expired biometric residence card (BRC) may be used, provided the test is taken no later than 24 months after the card's expiry date, or until 31 December 2026, whichever is sooner. The original card must be brought to the test. If identity can be checked using an eVisa, a physical document is not required. The LANGUAGECERT ESOL SELT 4-skills test was replaced by the LANGUAGECERT Academic SELT and LANGUAGECERT General SELT tests from 6 July 2025. Results from the old LANGUAGECERT ESOL SELT 4-skills test remain valid for 2 years.

The list of authorised organisations that can endorse applications for Innovator Founder and Scale-up visas has been updated, including removals, additions, and clarifications on endorsement scope. Specifically, SFC Capital, MedCity, NatWest Entrepreneur Accelerator, Innovate Britain, and Community and Business Partners have been removed from the Legacy Innovator Endorsing Bodies list. Glasgow Caledonian University and University of the West of England were added. Global Entrepreneurs Programme (GEP) was specified to only issue endorsements for the Innovator Founder visa. Information regarding the cost of endorsement and contact point meetings for Innovator Founder visas was added. The order of Business Endorsing Bodies was updated multiple times.

The updated guidance confirms that B2 is now the standard for Skilled Worker applications, including both entry clearance and permission to stay, except for certain applicants whose previous Skilled Worker permission was subject to the earlier B1 requirement. Scale Up applicants similarly require B2, subject to the equivalent transitional exception. The guidance also confirms that an eligible degree taught in English can be used to demonstrate English ability, with overseas degrees requiring an Ecctis assessment.

The updated Immigration Rules implement the following changes: * The general Skilled Worker salary floor has been lifted. * The required skills level for new Skilled Worker applicants is now RQF 6. * Overseas recruitment for the care worker occupation code has ended.

Current rules for this policy, plus every recorded change.