Visa crackdown forces foreign-born staff to leave the UK

In UK, a visa crackdown could force Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) staff to leave Britain. Civil servants have hit out at new visa rules, as per the I paper report, 1,500 benefits and Job Centre staff from overseas are no longer eligible for skilled visas.Foreign nationals working at the DWP, said they felt “heartbroken” and betrayed. They had expected to move on to skilled worker visas and settle in Britain once their current graduate visas had ended. The DWP's own foreign-born staff could be forced to flee the UK over a visa crackdown. Foreign nationals working in relatively low-paid roles at the DWP – in customer support, benefits processing and as work coaches – have fallen foul of visa rules changes. Many of the foreign nationals started their DWP jobs on two-year graduate visas, expecting that they would be able to move on to skilled workers’ visas later.
In July 2025, Labour raised the general salary threshold for jobs on the immigration salary list to £33,400. “These staff members have studied in the UK, invested in their futures here, and are already contributing to essential services,” said PCS general secretary Fran Heathcote.Labour MPs criticised the “reckless and self-defeating” Home Office visa rules – warning of a staffing crisis at the DWP as the Government tries to implement major changes to benefits and work schemes. The immigration specialist said “It’s effectively an informal deportation.” The Labour Government said it accepts that some of its civil servants are working on “time‑limited visas”.