What Are Prime Minister Andy Burnham’s Views on Immigration?

Key Points

• Burnham supports stronger border control alongside safe routes for people who genuinely need protection.

  
  

• His government has not reversed the recent restrictions on sponsored work visas.

  
  

• The proposed earned-settlement system remains under review, with no final Immigration Rules published.

  
  

• Exemptions for existing overseas care workers have been reported but not confirmed.

  
  

• Burnham cancelled the national Digital ID programme proposed by the previous government.

  
  

• Cancelling Digital ID does not remove existing right-to-work checks, eVisas or sponsor duties. A wider Right to Work Scheme is due to take effect from October 2026.

  
  

What Is Andy Burnham’s Current Position on Immigration?

Andy Burnham’s emerging immigration position is best described as controlled migration with selective pragmatism.

Since becoming Prime Minister on 20 July 2026, Burnham has emphasised restoring control over irregular migration and maintaining public confidence in the border. At the same time, he has supported safe routes for people genuinely in need and signalled concern about immigration changes that could unfairly affect people already living and working in the UK.

This does not amount to a wholesale liberalisation of immigration policy. Recent Skilled Worker restrictions, sponsor compliance measures and plans to reduce dependence on overseas recruitment remain in place.

Some of the most important questions—particularly the future of earned settlement and the treatment of existing health and social care workers—are still unresolved.

Andy Burnham’s Immigration Position at a Glance

What Has Burnham Said About Border Control?

Burnham has adopted a firm position on irregular migration and small-boat crossings.

During an August 2026 visit to Dover, he said the public wanted to see control restored at the border. He also supported continued action against people-smuggling networks and described the government’s approach as “relentless”.

However, he paired that enforcement message with support for safe routes for people who genuinely need protection. His position therefore combines:

• stronger action against organised smuggling;

• visible control over irregular entry;

• faster and more effective administration; and

• lawful humanitarian routes for eligible applicants.

This is not a policy of relaxing border control. Burnham is seeking to combine stronger enforcement with lawful routes for people who genuinely require protection.

Has Burnham Changed the Skilled Worker Visa Rules?

No immediate change to the Skilled Worker route occurred when Burnham became Prime Minister.

Existing rules on:

• eligible occupations;

• minimum skill levels;

• salary thresholds;

• Certificates of Sponsorship;

• dependant eligibility; and

• sponsor compliance

  
  

continue to apply unless they are formally amended through legislation or a Statement of Changes to the Immigration Rules.

Burnham has not announced any proposal to close the Skilled Worker route. His government has, however, retained the recent restrictions on sponsorship and the wider policy of reducing dependence on overseas recruitment.

The government’s current direction remains focused on higher-skilled employment, higher salary requirements and greater investment in the domestic workforce.

Employers should therefore continue assessing every proposed sponsored role under the Immigration Rules currently in force, rather than anticipating a wider relaxation.

How Does Domestic Training Fit into His Immigration Position?

Burnham has consistently emphasised technical education, workplace training and stronger routes into employment for UK residents.

That approach is consistent with the government’s wider policy of connecting overseas recruitment with domestic workforce development. However, the policy direction should not be confused with the legal requirements that currently apply to individual sponsors.

Under the current sponsorship system, the Home Office may examine:

• whether the vacancy is genuine;

• whether the role and duties match the selected occupation code;

• whether the salary and skill requirements are met;

• whether the business can genuinely offer the proposed employment; and

• whether the proposed role is consistent with the organisation’s activities and circumstances.

  
  

This does not mean employers must prove that no resident worker is available before sponsoring someone. The former Resident Labour Market Test has not been restored.

Domestic training may form part of an organisation’s wider workforce planning, but it is not a universal sponsor licence requirement. The immediate legal questions remain whether the role is genuine, eligible and compliant with the Immigration Rules.

Does Andy Burnham Support Earned Settlement?

Burnham’s final position on earned settlement has not yet been confirmed.

The inherited government proposal would replace the standard five-year route to settlement for many migrants with a baseline period of ten years. The model would allow the qualifying period to increase or decrease according to factors such as contribution, integration, earnings and compliance.

The official policy direction remains that settlement should be “earned”. However, the consultation received more than 200,000 responses, and detailed Immigration Rules implementing the wider model have not yet been published.

Reporting around the government’s review has focused on:

• retrospectively changing expectations for people already on a five-year route;

• leaving lawful migrants in prolonged uncertainty;

• the impact of longer qualifying periods on essential public services; and

• the treatment of health and social care workers already in the UK.

  
  

It is therefore more accurate to say that Burnham’s government is reviewing how earned settlement should operate. Burnham has not unconditionally accepted or rejected every part of the inherited proposal.

Employers and visa holders can read our analysis of the proposed extension of the ILR qualifying period.

Will Health and Social Care Workers Receive an Exemption?

No exemption has yet been confirmed.

Reports indicate that Burnham has considered protecting some care workers who are already living and working in the UK from significantly longer settlement periods. One possibility would be to apply new rules to future arrivals while introducing transitional protection for people already progressing towards settlement.

This remains a reported option rather than settled policy.

In his July 2026 social care speech, Burnham expressly recognised the contribution of workers from overseas and emphasised better pay, training, progression and employment security across the care workforce.

That recognition is politically significant, but it did not itself:

• create a new visa route;

• reinstate overseas recruitment for care workers;

• provide a settlement exemption;

• change existing salary requirements; or

• alter the Immigration Rules.

  
  

Employers should wait for formal Home Office rules and transitional provisions before advising workers that they will qualify for an exemption.

Why Did Burnham Cancel the National Digital ID Programme?

One of Burnham’s first confirmed decisions as Prime Minister was to cancel the national Digital ID programme.

The government redirected part of the planned expenditure towards reducing household electricity costs. The programme had previously been presented as a broader digital public-services initiative, with a proposed role in right-to-work verification and illegal-working enforcement.

Before the programme was cancelled, the previous government had already moved away from requiring Digital ID for wider everyday use, while retaining proposals for its use in right-to-work checking.

The cancellation does not mean that immigration status has returned to a paper-only system. It also does not end digital right-to-work checks.

Existing systems continue, including:

• eVisas and UKVI accounts;

• Home Office online right-to-work checks;

• right-to-work share codes;

• approved digital verification services for eligible British and Irish citizens;

• manual document checks where permitted; and

• the Employer Checking Service.

  
  

The cancellation was confirmed in the government’s July 2026 cost-of-living announcement.

Does Cancelling Digital ID Change Employer Right-to-Work Duties?

No.

The cancellation itself does not remove the right-to-work regime. Employers must still carry out the prescribed check before employment begins. A correctly completed check can provide a statutory excuse against a civil penalty if the worker is later found to be working illegally.

Depending on the individual, the employer may need to use:

1. the Home Office online checking service;

2. an approved digital verification service;

3. an eligible manual document check; or

4. the Employer Checking Service.

   
   

Employers must also complete follow-up checks where a worker has time-limited permission.

Separately, the Right to Work Scheme is due to expand from October 2026 to cover a wider range of working arrangements, including certain worker contracts, individual subcontractors and online matching services. Businesses using non-standard labour models should review how the expanded regime may apply to them.

The cancellation of the Digital ID programme does not:

• remove right-to-work checks;

• make a passport check sufficient in every case;

• remove follow-up checks;

• replace eVisas with physical documents; or

• reduce the penalties for employing an illegal worker.

  
  

Our complete employer guide to UK right-to-work compliance explains the current checking process.