Statement of changes HC 1491 was laid on 9 December 2025. It closes the Service Providers from Switzerland route on 31 December 2025, and deletes Appendix Service Providers from Switzerland from 1 January 2026. It does not change the Skilled Worker route, SOC codes, salary thresholds, the Immigration Salary List or the Temporary Shortage List.
What’s changing
For work routes, the main change is that the Service Providers from Switzerland route closes. APP SPS1 deletes Appendix Service Providers from Switzerland.
The explanatory memorandum says:
- The route closes on 31 December 2025. It is deleted from the Immigration Rules on 1 January 2026.
- Any application for entry clearance or administrative review for the route that is still waiting for a decision is then rejected as invalid.
- Under the existing rules for the route, any visa issued under it expires on 31 December 2025, if it has not already expired.
The statement has other changes that are not about work routes. They are listed at the end of this page.
Who it affects
The closure affects the Service Providers from Switzerland route. The explanatory memorandum says:
- The route was created in December 2020 under the UK-Switzerland Citizens’ Rights Agreement.
- The agreement required UK and Swiss companies to be able to keep servicing contracts with clients in Switzerland or the UK. This applied where the contract was signed and began before the end of the post-EU exit transition period on 31 December 2020.
- The arrangement was meant to stop on 31 December 2025, unless the UK and Switzerland agreed to extend it by a further five years.
- The UK and Switzerland agreed that an extension is not needed.
The statement does not change the Skilled Worker route or salary rules. It does not amend Appendix Skilled Worker, Appendix Skilled Occupations or Appendix Immigration Salary List, and it does not mention going rates. For earlier changes, see HC 997 and HC 1333. For all rule changes, see all rule changes.
When it starts
| Date | Changes that start |
|---|---|
| 9 December 2025, 1500 | Visit visa requirement for nationals of Nauru (APP VN1 to APP VN3, APP ETANL1) |
| 30 December 2025 | Part 11 (paragraph 11.1), Appendix ECAA Settlement, Appendix EU, Appendix EU (Family Permit), Appendix FM, Appendix Adult Dependent Relative, Appendix Victim of Domestic Abuse, Appendix Adoption and Appendix Statelessness |
| 1 January 2026 | Appendix Service Providers from Switzerland deleted (APP SPS1). Appendix AR (EU) replaced (APP AR(EU)1) |
Other changes in this statement
- Visit visa requirement for nationals of Nauru. Nauru is removed from the Electronic Travel Authorisation national list. The explanatory memorandum links the decision to Nauru’s Citizenship by Investment programme.
- Appendix EU: the grounds for cancelling pre-settled status on or before the holder’s arrival in the UK now match the grounds for curtailing it in the UK.
- Appendix EU (Family Permit): all EU Settlement Scheme status holders can get a travel permit if they cannot update their UK Visas and Immigration account from outside the UK.
- Appendix AR (EU) is replaced. APP AR(EU)1 sets out which decisions under Appendix EU, Appendix EU (Family Permit) and Appendix S2 Healthcare Visitor can be challenged by administrative review.
- Appendix ECAA Settlement: a requirement is brought back. European Communities Association Agreement business persons must show they can support family members with them without using public funds they are not entitled to.
- Unaccompanied Asylum Seeking Children leave: paragraph 352ZC(b) is changed to make clear that the leave is not considered unless a person is refused refugee status and humanitarian protection.
- Appendix FM, Appendix Adult Dependent Relative and Appendix Adoption: more changes to the follow-on changes made for Part Suitability in HC 1333. The explanatory memorandum names Appendix FM, Appendix Private Life, Appendix Adult Dependent Relative and Appendix Settlement Family Life as the appendices concerned.
- Small changes to match the wording and to correct paragraph references and drafting errors.
Questions
Does HC 1491 change the Skilled Worker route?
No. It does not change Appendix Skilled Worker, Appendix Skilled Occupations or Appendix Immigration Salary List. Its work route change is closing the Service Providers from Switzerland route.
When does the Service Providers from Switzerland route close?
The explanatory memorandum says the route closes on 31 December 2025 and is deleted from the Immigration Rules on 1 January 2026. Any application for entry clearance or administrative review for that route still waiting for a decision is then rejected as invalid.
Why does the Service Providers from Switzerland route close?
The explanatory memorandum says the route was a temporary arrangement under the UK-Switzerland Citizens' Rights Agreement. It was due to stop on 31 December 2025 unless extended by five years. The UK and Switzerland agreed that an extension is not needed.
Sources
Compiled by SWC Editorial Team from the sources above. An information summary, not immigration advice.