UK buried a new rule in March's immigration changes. It can cut Nigerian visas without Parliament.

The UK Home Office published a new Statement of Changes to Immigration Rules on March 5 (HC 1691). Some of it is already in effect. The part that should concern anyone planning their UK future hasn't triggered yet.

It's called the visa brake. The Home Secretary can now suspend Skilled Worker and Student visa routes for any nationality where asylum claim rates are judged too high, without a parliamentary vote. It's already been used on Afghanistan, Cameroon, Myanmar, and Sudan, effective March 26. The mechanism is now permanent in the Immigration Rules.

There's more. From April 8, salary compliance for Skilled Worker visa holders is assessed per pay period, not annually. If your monthly pay varies because of commission or contract structure, your employer needs to check payroll compliance now. UKVI will spot this faster under the new system.

And from 2027, the English language requirement for settlement rises to B2 for most long-term routes. For people who thought they were approaching indefinite leave to remain, the April 2026 settlement reforms could push that timeline out significantly.

A Westminster Hall parliamentary debate on the changes is scheduled for March 17. Worth watching.