August 2025 immigration changes: UK fee hike, Re 1 visas, Saudi work permit

Business Standard

4 days ago

From rising student costs in England to visa sales and new permit systems abroad, several rule changes come into effect in August 2025. Take a look at some of the changes:
University fees in England to rise from August 1
Students in England, including Indians with permanent residency, will now pay up to £9,535 a year for undergraduate courses. The increase of £285 comes after tuition fees were frozen at £9,250 since 2017.
'For those worried about affordability, we're also increasing maintenance loans to support students with the cost of living,' said Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson in Parliament in November 2024.
The new fee cap applies to courses offered by 'approved (fee cap)' providers depending on their Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) status and access plans. The changes take effect from August 1, 2025.
Here's what full-time students will now pay annually:
£9,275: Providers without TEF but with an APP
£6,355: Providers with TEF but without an APP
£6,185: Providers with neither TEF nor APP
Accelerated and part-time course fees have been raised proportionately.
Students doing final-year courses under 15 weeks, sandwich placements, or a study-abroad year will pay reduced percentages—50 per cent, 20 per cent, and 15 per cent of the standard fee, respectively.
International fees are set independently by universities.
India's first-ever ₹1 visa sale on August 4–5
Travellers applying for visas to over a dozen destinations—including the UK, US, Australia, France, Germany, and Indonesia—can now do so for just ₹1 during a two-day campaign by visa platform Atlys.
'If you book through Atlys, for select Schengen countries like Greece, France, Germany, Spain and Italy, we have slashed both our service fee and the appointment fees,' said Mohak Nahta, founder and CEO of Atlys.
He gave an example: 'In France, the appointment fee is about ₹2,047 and our usual service fee is ₹2,950. As part of this offer, both are reduced to just ₹1.'
The same offer applies to US visa applicants, where the standard Atlys service fee of ₹19,940 will drop to ₹1.
'For the UK, we are charging just ₹1 total—there are no extra fees, hidden charges, or visa costs during the campaign,' Nahta said.
Countries covered include the UAE, UK, Vietnam, Egypt, Oman, Qatar, Kenya, Morocco, Taiwan, and more.
UK to train 60,000 construction workers
Starting August, new construction foundation apprenticeships will open in England, backed by £40 million. It is part of a broader £600 million investment over four years to tackle construction skill shortages.
The scheme, which falls under the government's Youth Guarantee, could be a chance for Indian-origin youth settled in the UK to access training and enter skilled trades.
August 2025 US Visa Bulletin: Small gains for India
In the latest update by the US State Department:
India's EB-2 green card dates remain unchanged.
EB-3 (Skilled & Other Workers) categories have moved forward by one month.
EB-5 unreserved investor visas advanced by 6.5 months for India.
EB-1 remains current for most countries, but cut-off dates for India and China are still 15 February 2022 and 2 November 2022 respectively.
These dates decide who can file green card applications (Form I-485) using the Final Action Dates chart.
Saudi Arabia enforces skill-based permit rules from August 3
Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Human Resources has made it mandatory from August 3 for all new foreign workers, including Indians, to be classified under a skill-based work permit system.
Three categories have been introduced: high-skill, skilled, and basic. The classification is based on education, experience, technical capabilities, wages, and age.
Assessments will be carried out digitally via the Qiwa platform. Employers and workers are expected to complete classification or reassessment requests through it.
Foreigners already in the country were brought under the new system from 18 June.
What counts for classification:
Educational qualifications
Years of relevant experience
Practical or technical training
Current wages
Age
Occupations are mapped to nine groups, including professionals, clerks, sales workers, agricultural workers, and machine operators.
For example, a basic-skill worker will typically be under 60 and in a lower occupational group, while a high-skill worker will need to meet stricter wage and qualification criteria.
Saudi Arabia remains a major destination for Indians, with 2.65 million Indian nationals working there, according to India's Ministry of External Affairs.
New US form fees from 22 July: August deadline to comply
Starting 22 July, USCIS introduced new mandatory immigration fees under law H.R. 1. Applications postmarked after 21 August 2025 without correct payment will be rejected.
The fee increases apply across asylum applications, work permits, and temporary protection cases, and cannot be waived.