The government announced the following changes to the Immigration Rules on 3 November 2016:

Tier 2

The following changes will affect all certificates of sponsorship assigned by Tier 2 sponsors on or after 24 November 2016:

• increasing the Tier 2 (General) salary threshold for experienced workers to £25,000, with some exemptions;
• increasing the Tier 2 (Intra-Company Transfer) salary threshold for short-term staff to £30,000;
• reducing the Tier 2 (Intra-Company Transfer) graduate trainee salary threshold to £23,000 and increasing the number of places to 20 per company per year; and
• closing the Tier 2 (Intra-Company Transfer) skills transfer sub-category.

The government has not yet announced a date from which intra-company transfer migrants will be liable for the immigration health surcharge.

Non-EEA partners

The government has introduced a new English language requirement for non-EEA partners and parents. This affects those applying to extend their stay after two and a half years in the UK on a five-year route to settlement under Appendix FM (Family Member) of the Immigration Rules (introduced in July 2012).

The new requirement will apply to partners and parents whose current leave under the family Immigration Rules is due to expire on or after 1 May 2017.

The English language requirement applies to most immigration applications. This includes those seeking to enter the UK for employment under the points-based system, and students seeking to enter the UK under Tier 4 of the points-based system.