Lords committee draws attention to immigration rules and vehicle emissions changes
The House of Lords Secondary Legislation Scrutiny Committee has drawn to special attention a package of immigration rules changes and vehicle emissions trading scheme amendments in its 40th Report. The immigration measures include reducing Graduate visa stays from two years to 18 months from January 2027, increasing English language requirements from Level B1 to B2 for economic migration routes, and implementing a 32% increase in the Immigration Skills Charge paid by employers sponsoring skilled workers. The Committee criticised the Home Office for providing inadequate explanatory material, particularly regarding changes to stateless persons' dependants following a judicial review, and noted the overall immigration impact will be modest at 2,000-4,000 fewer arrivals annually. The vehicle emissions order extends flexibilities for manufacturers to meet Zero-Emission Vehicle Mandate targets, though the Committee raised concerns this could incentivise plug-in hybrid sales over zero-emission vehicles, potentially reducing carbon savings by 1.8%. Additional instruments include extending Maritime and Coastguard Agency fees for three years, expanding collective pension schemes to unconnected employers, adding cyberflashing and self-harm content as priority offences under the Online Safety Act, and removing Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham from the proscribed organisations list following Syria's political changes.