On Monday, Reform UK has announced it would abolish ILR and force people to reapply for visas every five years. Moreover, it imposes stricter requirements regarding wages, English language proficiency, and provisions for bringing family members.
Reform UK Leader Nigel Farage said the UK should not be “the world’s food bank”. He added that: “It is not for us to provide welfare for people coming in from all over the world.”
He said that families in the UK might be broken up, as some Ukrainians and Hong Kong residents who have moved to the UK through special resettlement programs would lose their residency rights.
On September 18th, the first illegal migrant was deported to France under the “one in, one out” deal.
An unprecedented nationwide crackdown on illegal labor would be launched, suggesting that the previously promised job opportunities for migrants might face significant challenges, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer stressed previously,.
New Immigration Policies Fuel Worries
The steep decline in visa issuance follows a series of legal migration reforms introduced last year by the former Conservative government, which included restrictions preventing international students and overseas care workers from bringing dependents to the UK.
In the year to June 2025, the UK issued a total of 834,977 visas across these categories, marking a 32 percent drop from the 1.23 million visas granted in the previous 12 months.
Work-related visas saw the most significant decrease, plummeting 48 percent from 545,855 to 286,071. Study visas also dropped by 18 percent to 435,891, while family visas fell by 15 percent to 70,961.
It includes 14,216 visas granted under the Ukraine schemes (down 48 percent), 11,804 visas for Hong Kong’s British National Overseas (BNO) status holders (down 47 percent), and 9,357 visas issued under the EU Settlement Scheme (down 34 percent). Additionally, 3,640 visas were granted to dependents, and 3,037 visas were issued under other settlement programs.
“We inherited a broken immigration and asylum system left in chaos by the previous government. Since taking office, we have strengthened Britain’s visa and immigration controls, cut asylum costs, and sharply increased enforcement and returns,” Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said.
The media TTW pointed out that if the government passes new citizenship reform measures, extending the timeline for Hong Kong immigrants to obtain citizenship to 10 years, it could break the trust and economic ties originally established.
Cliff Buddle, writing for the South China Morning Post, argued that “Britain must prove its commitment to the BN(O) scheme for HK migrants.” Although UK authorities have yet to respond to these concerns.
Migrant Demands Spark Tension with Locals
The influx of migrants into the UK last year triggered around 180 far-right and anti-immigration rallies. Protesters frequently gathered outside hotels housing asylum seekers, often clashing with police and anti-racism activists.
On September 13, up to 150,000 people participated in a major anti-immigration march in central London. The “United Kingdom” rally was one of the largest far-right protests in Britain to date. according to the anti-racism charity Hope Not Hate.
In February, the Australian online magazine Quillette noted that political activism among Hong Kong migrants in the UK had been growing, especially in opposition to plans by the Chinese government to build a new embassy near the Royal Mint in London. Over 5,000 Hong Kong migrants participated in protests against the move, which raised concerns among the residents.
Police had warned as early as December that “they will highly likely spill into the road … a major arterial junction … [with] over 50,000 vehicle movements per day.”
“Economic pessimism and prejudice are often linked to immigration issues. The far-right view is that, to protect jobs and the welfare state, we need to stop immigration,” said Stijn Van Kessel, a professor of comparative politics at Queen Mary University of London, in an interview with the BBC.
New immigrants may push up house prices and rents
Due to a severe shortage of affordable housing, a slowdown in the construction industry, and high property prices, migrants are facing housing challenges alongside residents.
Among all the international “buy-to-let” mortgage loans provided by Skipton International, nearly a quarter were held by residents of Hong Kong. Lorraine McLean, the head of the Skipton International mortgage team for property purchase and rental, said: ” Hong Kong buyers are focusing on city centre property. Newly built flats are easily rentable to local workers.”
Foreign buyers purchasing properties in the UK are required to pay an additional 2% stamp duty surcharge, while in Hong Kong, those purchasing their second home need to pay a 15% stamp duty surcharge.
This means that Hong Kong immigrants who have sufficient funds can sell their original properties in Hong Kong at a high price, and then use the proceeds to purchase properties in the UK at a lower price.
