Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to her Department's policy paper entitled Statement of changes to the Immigration Rules: HC 997, published on 1 July 2025m what assessment she has made with Cabinet colleagues of the potential impact of removing (a) dental hygienists and (b) dental technicians from the Skilled Worker visa eligible occupation list on (i) sustainability of the dental workforce sustainability and (ii) patient access to care.

On 12 May, the Government published its Immigration White Paper, outlining our future approach to legal migration routes. A technical annex (www.gov.uk/government/publications/restoring-control-over-the-immigration-system-white-paper/restoring-control-over-the-immigration-system-technical-annex) was published alongside the Immigration White Paper setting out the impact of some of the key policy changes.

The Statement of Changes to Immigration Rules laid on 1 July represent the first step in delivering on the Governments White Paper and included raising the skills threshold for Skilled Worker, excepting an interim Temporary Shortage List of lower skilled occupations deemed critical to the UK’s Industrial Strategy, which was based on advice from the Department of Business and Trade and His Majesty’s Treasury.

Home Office and DHSC continue to work very closely to understand the impact of all Immigration Routes on sector workforce. It is our intention to publish an Impact Assessment (IA) at the earliest opportunity. NHS Employers has published www.nhsemployers.org/articles/immigration-rule-changes-july-2025 which explains the impact of the changes on health and social care occupations.