Sponsor records · Official guidance · Checked 22 September 2026
Immigration white paper tracker: what is in force (2026)
A white paper is a policy statement, not law. The measures in Restoring control over the immigration system reached sponsors through Statements of Changes and regulations, on different dates, and some have not arrived at all. This tracker separates what is in force from what is still a proposal, because only the first group creates work. Checked 22 September 2026.
Last updated .
Implementation register
In force, scheduled, or still unresolved?
On smaller screens, scroll the table sideways to see every column.
| Measure | Status and date | Primary source | What it changes for records |
|---|---|---|---|
| Skill threshold raised to RQF 6 | In force 22 July 2025 | Statement of Changes HC 997, laid 1 Jul 2025 | Roles below degree level are no longer sponsorable unless an exemption applies. Check the SOC code before assigning a new certificate; workers already sponsored are not retrospectively de-sponsored. |
| General salary threshold of £41,700 | In force 22 July 2025 | Appendix Skilled Worker, SW 4.2 | Applies to applications from that date, and sits alongside a separate going-rate test. See the threshold and going-rate reference. |
| Overseas care-worker recruitment closed | In force 22 July 2025 | No new certificate for SOC 6135 or 6136 from overseas. In-country switching runs to 22 Jul 2028. See the route status page. | |
| Immigration Skills Charge raised by 32% | In force 16 December 2025 | £1,320 a year for large sponsors and £480 for small or charitable sponsors, with £660 and £240 for each additional six months. A cost line, not a record field: hold the amount actually paid, and note the charge cannot be recovered from the worker. | |
| B2 English for new Skilled Worker applicants | In force 8 January 2026 | Evidence is assessed with the application, not by the employer. Hold the certificate and the role record; do not start re-assessing language yourself or storing test material you have no need for. | |
| Salary assessed per pay period; “eligible role” replaces “genuine vacancy” | In force 8 April 2026 | Statement of Changes HC 1691, laid 5 Mar 2026 | The required salary must be met in each pay period rather than mainly annually. Detail and dates in the running record; mechanics in the salary reference. |
| Appendix D employment-rights evidence | In force; guidance updated 3 August 2026 | Retain evidence that workers were given employment-rights information. See the Appendix D evidence guide. | |
| Earned settlement reform | Proposed; consultation closed, responses under consideration | Nothing to implement. Do not derive a settlement date, review date or permission expiry from a proposal; keep the worker’s actual permission evidence as it stands. | |
| Immigration and Asylum Bill | In passage; introduced 30 June 2026 | No new sponsor-record field is established by the Bill itself. Track the final Act, its commencement provisions and any sponsor guidance separately. |
The white paper was published 12 May 2025 and its landing page was last updated 20 January 2026; this register was checked 22 September 2026. A source date is not an effective date, and a measure announced in the white paper is only operative once a Statement of Changes, regulations or guidance brings it into force. This register covers measures that bear on employers who sponsor workers, not every proposal in the document.
The distinction that matters
A white paper is not a rule
Most of the cost of a policy announcement is spent by organisations that act on it too early.
Everything in the top half of this register already creates work; everything in the bottom half creates only a review note. The failure mode is treating the second group like the first, which produces record changes that no rule requires and that later have to be undone. For what changed and when, use the running record.
- Record, for each item, whether it is in force, scheduled, in passage or proposed.
- Assign a reviewer to confirm the effective date before any process changes.
- Do not collect additional personal information because a measure has been announced.
- Recheck the primary source when guidance, a bill stage or a commencement date moves.
How to use this page
This is a dated, manually checked summary of published official sources, not a live feed and not a complete statement of immigration law. Figures, deadlines and paragraph references were correct against the sources cited on 22 September 2026 and change without notice. Always open the primary source before acting, and refer questions about an individual worker to a solicitor or a regulated immigration adviser. Soteriaa sells document and record-tracking software and makes no compliance determination. Soteriaa provides document and workflow tools, not legal assistance or compliance advice. It helps organise records, evidence and deadlines; it does not determine compliance, certify records or submit official reports on your behalf. You review the information and remain responsible for required checks and submissions.