The King’s Speech: How could UK immigration be affected by Labour’s new policies?

The policy agenda for the new Labour government has been set in the form of the King’s Speech, an event which saw around 40 bills earmarked for delivery in the next 5 years as read out by King Charles III. Given how immigration was a hot topic in the 2024 UK election, many people are asking – how will the policy proposals influence immigration?

At a glance: Borders and Skills

After committing to scrap the Conservative government’s flagship ‘Rwanda Policy’, Labour will introduce the Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill which will feature reinforcing the border and tying net migration to the persistent skills shortage in the UK.

The draft legislation on the table will create a ‘Border Security Command’, expanding existing powers for cross-border policing, increasing penalties within the current sentencing framework for “criminal gangs” who arrange for the transport of migrants to the UK, reducing the asylum backlog and reinvesting the money from the scrapped Rwanda scheme.

How could this affect immigration?

After a historic year in 2023, where net migration figures hit 685,000, overall levels of immigration are projected to fall for the next few years. Part of this fall can be attributed to reforms of the salary and skills thresholds brought in by the previous Conservative government.

Whether improved efficiency in asylum processing or the criminalisation of the activities of people smugglers will reduce net migration remains to be seen.

Additional reforms that may have been overlooked will include a proposed Skills England Bill, designed to better align employer need for overseas workers with a boost to upskilling the domestic UK workforce. This has been marketed as a way to reduce what has been described as overreliance on international talent without taking a more penal approach.

Potential Impacts

The implementation of higher thresholds for skilled workers in the private sector could create tension between government policy and the practical needs of employers in the affected sectors.

Some experts have touted the importance of maintaining a deterrent effect through strengthening border security, however, without a fundamental change to the material conditions of those who take the perilous journey, we can only speculate on how their decisions could ultimately be affected by these reforms.

How Gherson can assist

Gherson’s Immigration team have deep experience in advising on all aspects of immigration. If you have any questions arising from this blog, please do not hesitate to contact us for advice, send us an e-mail, or, alternatively, follow us on X, Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn to stay-up-to-date.

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