Table of Contents
The laws, rules, and policies that govern the UK immigration system, from primary legislation to operational guidance.
Immigration Rules
The detailed legal framework, laid before Parliament by the Home Secretary, governing who may enter and remain in the UK and under what conditions. Originally 20 pages long when introduced in the 1970s, they now exceed 1,000 pages. They are not primary legislation but have legal force and are the basis for all visa and asylum decisions.
Points-Based Immigration System
The framework introduced after Brexit under which immigration for work and study is managed through a points-scoring mechanism. Applicants must score at least 70 points based on job offer, skill level, salary, and English language ability. It replaced the earlier tiered system and applies equally to EU and non-EU nationals since January 2021.
Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS)
A charge paid upfront by most non-UK visa applicants, giving them access to NHS treatment on the same basis as UK residents during their stay. Currently set at £1,035 per person per year of the visa. Health and Care Worker visa holders are exempt. The charge has increased significantly in recent years and is a significant cost for families.
Immigration Skills Charge (ISC)
A levy paid by UK employers for each year they sponsor an overseas worker on the Skilled Worker or similar routes. From December 2025, the charge is £1,320 per year for medium and large sponsors and £480 for small and charitable organisations. It was introduced to encourage employers to invest in domestic training. It does not apply to unsponsored routes.
Family reunion
The right of recognised refugees and others with protection status to be joined in the UK by close family members — typically a spouse and minor children — from abroad. It is distinct from the family visa route, which requires meeting income thresholds. Refugee family reunion is free of charge and does not require the sponsor to demonstrate financial means.
Family formation
A statistical category used in settlement data covering people granted the right to settle in the UK on the basis of a family relationship — including spouses, children, parents, and grandparents — with someone already settled or a British citizen. It reflects both reunion with pre-existing families and the formation of new family units.
Earned settlement
A proposed policy framework, consulted on in late 2025, under which the qualifying period for indefinite leave to remain would vary based on an individual’s contributions to the UK — through employment, earnings, or volunteering. It would replace the current fixed five-year qualifying period for most routes with a longer baseline of ten years, with reductions available. It is not yet law.
Safe return review
A Home Office assessment, conducted at the point of settlement application on the protection route, examining whether a refugee’s circumstances or country conditions have changed such that their status should be revoked. Codified in the Immigration Rules from April 2026, this process was previously conducted as a matter of practice without formal regulatory basis.
Nationality and Borders Act 2022
Legislation passed under the Conservative government that introduced significant changes to the asylum system, including the creation of a two-tier refugee status system and expanded powers to declare claims inadmissible. Several of its most controversial provisions — including the Rwanda removal scheme — were later repealed or fell away under subsequent legislation.
Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Act
Legislation passed under the current Labour government that repealed key elements of the Nationality and Borders Act 2022 and the Illegal Migration Act 2023. It established the Border Security Command in statute, created new counter-terrorism-style powers to disrupt smuggling networks, and made further changes to the asylum support system.
European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR)
An international treaty, enforced by the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg, protecting fundamental rights including the right to life, freedom from torture, and the right to family life. Articles 3 and 8 are frequently invoked in immigration cases to resist removal. The UK remains a signatory to the ECHR regardless of Brexit.
1951 Refugee Convention / Geneva Convention
The foundational international treaty defining who is a refugee and establishing the principle of non-refoulement — the prohibition on returning a person to a country where they face persecution. The UK is a signatory. The Convention’s definition of a refugee, supplemented by the 1967 Protocol, underpins the UK’s asylum system.
1967 Protocol
A supplement to the 1951 Refugee Convention that removed its original geographic and time restrictions, extending refugee protections to people displaced anywhere in the world, not just Europe, and from events after 1951. Together, the Convention and the Protocol form the basis of international refugee law and the UK’s obligations to asylum seekers.