As part of stakeholder outreach on the May 2025 Immigration White Paper, the Home Office is running a series of online “Town Hall” briefings—one of which takes place today, 29 October, at 14:00 BST. The 50-minute session will summarise reforms taking effect over the next six weeks, including:
• Expansion of the High Potential Individual visa to graduates of any global top-100 university (from 4 Nov)
• New prestigious-prize fast-track for Global Talent visa and relaxed evidential rules for architects (11 Nov)
• Student pathway into the Innovator Founder visa (25 Nov)
• Graduate visa shortened to 18 months for most applicants from 1 Jan 2027
• English-language level raised to B2 for major work routes (8 Jan 2026)
• Forthcoming consultation on settlement and on extending right-to-work checks.
Companies with graduate-hiring pipelines or talent-attraction programmes should dial in to assess the immediate operational impacts. Sponsors will need to update recruitment materials, CAS issuance procedures and compliance systems—particularly where higher language scores apply.
The briefings also cover the shift to eVisas: since July the Home Office has stopped issuing 90-day entry vignettes for most main applicants, with dependants next in line. Mobility teams that rely on physical BRP cards should prepare travellers for digital-status checks at the border.
Additional webinars are scheduled for 30 October and 4 November. Slides and a recording will be circulated to registered participants, but the Q&A segment offers a rare chance to clarify transitional issues directly with policy leads.
• Expansion of the High Potential Individual visa to graduates of any global top-100 university (from 4 Nov)
• New prestigious-prize fast-track for Global Talent visa and relaxed evidential rules for architects (11 Nov)
• Student pathway into the Innovator Founder visa (25 Nov)
• Graduate visa shortened to 18 months for most applicants from 1 Jan 2027
• English-language level raised to B2 for major work routes (8 Jan 2026)
• Forthcoming consultation on settlement and on extending right-to-work checks.
Companies with graduate-hiring pipelines or talent-attraction programmes should dial in to assess the immediate operational impacts. Sponsors will need to update recruitment materials, CAS issuance procedures and compliance systems—particularly where higher language scores apply.
The briefings also cover the shift to eVisas: since July the Home Office has stopped issuing 90-day entry vignettes for most main applicants, with dependants next in line. Mobility teams that rely on physical BRP cards should prepare travellers for digital-status checks at the border.
Additional webinars are scheduled for 30 October and 4 November. Slides and a recording will be circulated to registered participants, but the Q&A segment offers a rare chance to clarify transitional issues directly with policy leads.
