Home Office Sponsor Guidance Updated March 2026
The Home Office has updated the official sponsor guidance, introducing tighter compliance expectations for employers that hold a sponsor licence. The changes sit alongside recent Immigration Rules amendments and reflect a more interventionist approach to enforcement, with greater scrutiny of how organisations manage sponsored workers in practice. For HR teams and employers, the update affects […]
Employment Rights Act Reforms Could Increase Tribunal Claims
Forthcoming employment law reforms could lead to a rise in workplace disputes reaching the employment tribunal system, at a time when the courts already face significant caseload pressure, according to legal analysts. The concerns relate to the wider programme of employment reforms linked to the Employment Rights Act, which is being implemented through phased legislative […]
Hereditary Peers to Lose House of Lords Seats After Reform Bill Passes
Dozens of hereditary peers are set to lose their seats in the House of Lords after Parliament approved legislation ending the centuries-old right to sit and vote in the upper chamber by virtue of inherited titles. The House of Lords (Hereditary Peers) Bill removes the remaining hereditary peer places that have existed since a compromise […]
Modernising Agency Work Regulations: Govt Consultation Launched
The UK government has launched a consultation on plans to modernise the regulatory framework governing agency work. The review forms part of the wider employment reforms linked to the government’s “Plan to Make Work Pay” agenda and focuses on updating rules that many policymakers believe no longer reflect the realities of the modern temporary labour […]
New “Two-Tier Workforce” Rules Planned for Public Sector Contracts
The UK government, alongside the Scottish and Welsh governments, is preparing a new regulatory framework aimed at preventing the emergence of “two-tier workforces” in outsourced public services. The reforms are expected to be implemented under powers contained in the Employment Rights Act 2025 and are currently anticipated to take effect from October 2026. The measures […]
Lawyers Urge Govt to Rethink Plans to Restrict Jury Trials
Plans to restrict the use of jury trials in England and Wales are facing mounting opposition from the legal profession and within Parliament, as the government prepares to advance legislation aimed at reducing the growing backlog in the criminal courts. More than 3,000 lawyers have written to the Prime Minister urging the government to reconsider […]
Gender Pay Gap & Menopause Policies: New Employer Duties Proposed
The UK government has announced new employer action plans designed to strengthen the existing gender pay gap reporting framework. The initiative forms part of the wider employment reforms linked to the Employment Rights Act 2025 and the government’s “Make Work Pay” programme. While the current system focuses on publishing pay data, the new framework is […]
Proposed Changes to UK Gender Pay Gap & Menopause Policies
The UK government has published new policy plans aimed at strengthening workplace equality through enhanced gender pay gap reporting and support for employees experiencing menopause. The initiative forms part of the wider programme implementing the Employment Rights Act 2025 and the government’s “Make Work Pay” agenda. The government has announced plans to require large employers […]
Statutory Maternity Pay Evidence Rules Updated from April 2026
The government has introduced a small update to the rules governing evidence of pregnancy for Statutory Maternity Pay (SMP) and Maternity Allowance (MA) under the Social Security and Statutory Maternity Pay (Evidence of Pregnancy and Compensation of Employers) (Amendment) Regulations 2026 (SI 2026/201). The Regulations amend several existing statutory instruments that govern how pregnancy is […]
Skilled Worker Visa Brake for Afghan Nationals
The UK government has introduced a new immigration control mechanism that prevents Afghan nationals from obtaining Skilled Worker visas from outside the UK under the new visa brake policy. From 12:01am on 26 March 2026, Skilled Worker visa applications made outside the UK by Afghan nationals will be refused. The rule applies regardless of whether […]
UK ILR English Language Level Rising in 2027
The Statement of Changes in Immigration Rules HC 1691, laid on 5 March 2026, introduces a staged increase in the English language requirement for UK Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) and other long term, settlement-linked routes. Under the new ILR rules, the English language requirement for affected routes will rise from CEFR level B1 to […]
New Skilled Worker Visa Pay Period Rule Introduced
The UK government has introduced new salary compliance provisions for the Skilled Worker visa route through the Statement of Changes to the Immigration Rules published on 5 March 2026. The amendment inserts paragraph SW 14.3B into Appendix Skilled Worker and takes effect on 8 April 2026. The provision changes how salary compliance may be assessed […]
Skilled Worker Visa Pay Period Changes in April 2026
The UK government has introduced new payroll compliance provisions for the Skilled Worker visa route through the 5 March 2026 Statement of Changes to the Immigration Rules. The amendment inserts paragraph SW 14.3B into Appendix Skilled Worker and takes effect on 8 April 2026. The provision changes how the Home Office examines salary compliance for […]
UK Introduces Visa Brake for 4 Nationalities
The UK government has confirmed new visa restrictions affecting four nationalities as part of wider measures aimed at reducing asylum claims made after entry through legal migration routes. Under the new ‘visa brake‘ policy, from 26 March 2026, the government will stop granting Student visas to nationals of Afghanistan, Cameroon, Myanmar and Sudan, while Skilled […]
Employees Stuck Overseas: What Should HR Do?
The current conflict in the Middle East has left some employees temporarily unable to return to the UK as planned. Airspace closures, suspended flights and changes to cruise itineraries are disrupting international travel routes with little warning, preventing individuals from leaving affected regions. Government travel advice is also rapidly changing. Employers and HR teams now […]
UK Introduces New Asylum Rules
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has issued a Written Ministerial Statement confirming that, from 2 March 2026, the UK will replace the standard five-year grant of refugee leave with a 30-month period of temporary protection for new asylum claims. The change, made through amendments to the Immigration Rules, introduces an earlier review point that fundamentally alters […]
Reform UK Immigration Policy Unveiled
Reform UK used an event in Dover on 23 February to outline a broader set of immigration and internal security proposals, presented by its home affairs spokesman Zia Yusuf alongside party leader Nigel Farage. The announcement forms part of a series of policy statements ahead of the next general election, due no later than 2029. […]
UK Plans 48-Hour Deadline for Online Intimate Image Removal
The Government has tabled an amendment to the Crime and Policing Bill that would require online platforms to remove non-consensual intimate images within 48 hours of receiving and verifying a valid report. The proposal applies to material shared without consent, including so-called “revenge porn” and AI-generated or digitally altered intimate images depicting an identifiable person. […]
Industrial Action Reforms Now Live: Practical HR Guidance
On 18 February 2026, the first phase of reforms under the Employment Rights Act 2025 took effect. The initial changes focus on industrial action and collective dispute procedure. For HR teams, the significance lies in how these amendments affect day-to-day dispute management, dismissal decisions and documentation standards. The reforms do not remove the statutory framework […]
ERA 2025: Industrial Action Reforms from 18 Feb 2026
On 18 February 2026, the first phase of reforms under the Employment Rights Act 2025 took effect. These initial changes concentrate on industrial action and collective dispute procedure. While the amendments do not remove the statutory framework governing ballots and notice, they recalibrate how that framework operates in practice and how participating employees are protected. […]