Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will extend Skilled Worker visa eligibility for overseas students in the UK training for Regulated Qualifications Framework Level 3-5 dental qualifications prior to 22 July 2025.

On 12 May, we published our Immigration White Paper, outlining our future approach to legal migration routes. We have now made Immigration Rules changes to bring the first of these reforms into effect.

Dental hygienists and dental therapists play a vital role within our dentistry teams and are highly valued members of the workforce, but the SOC code they are part of is recognised as a medium skilled group. Those already in these medium skilled roles, RQF 3 to 5, made using a certificate of sponsorship issued before 22 July, can extend their visas. New applicants must meet the new degree level skills threshold.

Those coming to the UK as students should be aware that this does not guarantee them future employment or extensions to their immigration permission. The Graduate route is designed to allow UK graduates time to work, or look for work, for a set period after completing their studies. It does not guarantee progression to the Skilled Worker route, for which an individual would need to find higher skilled, higher salaried employment after graduation and meet the requirements in place at the time they make their Skilled Worker application.