You'll now need a degree to work in the UK: Nation to bar low-skilled foreign workers without graduate degrees

The United Kingdom will now require foreign workers to have a degree to get a job. In a dramatic reset of Britain's post-Brexit immigration model, the Labour government, as per reports, will introduce a university degree requirement for foreign workers looking to work in the UK.

According to the Telegraph, this is a sharp reversal of the previous Conservative policy of allowing A-level equivalent workers under a points-based system.

No degree, no job

The new proposal is expected to be unveiled on Monday (May 12) and would mark a major tightening of immigration rules. This is because net migration in the UK hit a record 906,000 in 2023.

Under the new rules, employers would still be allowed to recruit low-skilled workers – but only in critical sectors like IT, construction and engineering, as these are deemed to be suffering shortages by the Government. However, even in these cases, point-based visas will apply — but only on a temporary, time-limited basis.

Employers in these sectors must also prove they are training domestic workers through apprenticeships and other schemes to plug the skills gaps.

This comes as previous reports suggested that the UK government will now force migrants to prove fluency in English; those who cannot risk being denied settlement in Britain altogether.

Currently, in the UK, immigrants are required to only understand GCSE level basic English in everyday situations. However, under the upcoming Immigration White Paper, migrants seeking work, study, or permanent residence in the UK will have to demonstrate a much higher level of English, equivalent to A-level proficiency.

It requires people to express themselves "fluently and spontaneously without much obvious searching for expressions," and to speak English "flexibly and effectively for social, academic and professional purposes".