UK Home Office Publishes Statement of Changes to Immigration Rules (HC 584, 3 September 2026)
What changed
The UK Home Office has released HC 584, which is a new Statement of Changes to the Immigration Rules. This document updates several areas of the UK immigration system. These changes cover how decisions are made about whether someone is suitable to be in the UK and complies with immigration controls, protections for people who are victims of modern slavery, human rights claims made by families going through the Family Returns Process, procedures for waiving fees and enrolling biometrics, victims of domestic abuse, participation in Erasmus+, the EU Settlement Scheme, maintenance funds for the Student Route, routes for religious workers, settlement for Hong Kong BN(O) citizens, Long Residence rules, the Child Relative route, and other technical provisions. A large part of these changes is to help the UK take part in the Erasmus+ programme from 2027. This includes creating specific immigration rules for Erasmus+ study, training, traineeships, job shadowing, sports activities, and related placements. The changes also broaden the Victim of Domestic Abuse route to include adult dependent children. They will let some Skilled Workers who are confirmed victims of modern slavery do a wider range of work. Also, the requirement to pay an application fee will be removed for certain human rights claims made by families in the Family Returns Process. The amount of money students need for living costs — called the maintenance requirement — for the Student Route will also go up. It will increase from £1,529 to £1,570 per month if you're studying in London, and from £1,171 to £1,203 per month if you're studying outside London.
The detail
Policy history
UK Amends Immigration Rules HC 584, Introducing Changes to Suitability, Skilled Worker, Human Rights Claims, and Visa ApRelated changes
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