UK grants temporary visa exemption for foreign prison officers through 2026
Move aims to avert a staffing crisis as jails rely on overseas recruits; exemption applies to those already in the country and runs through 2026, with a reduced salary threshold through 2027.
Foreign nationals working as prison officers in the United Kingdom have been granted a temporary exemption from the government's new visa rules to help prevent a staffing crisis in jails, authorities said. The exemption applies only to applicants who are already in the country and will run through 31 December 2026. A lower salary threshold of £33,400 will apply to these cases through 31 December 2027, while the standard minimum salary for a skilled worker visa remains £41,700 (up from £38,700).
The changes to the visa rules were introduced in July as part of broader efforts to reduce migration. They raise the minimum salary for a skilled worker visa to £41,700, a level that prison officers—especially those outside London—often do not meet at the start of their careers. The exemption seeks to ensure jails can continue to operate safely while authorities restructure recruitment toward more domestic hires.
The Prison Officers Association warned that the salary threshold changes could cost jails more than 2,500 overseas recruits, threatening stability in prisons. Chief inspector of prisons Charlie Taylor had warned earlier this year that many jails were heavily dependent on officers recruited from West Africa, and there was a danger visa renewals for those workers would not be granted, with potentially devastating effects on operations.
The exemption was welcomed by the POA, which described it as a victory for common sense. Its general secretary, Steve Gillan, said it might not be perfect but would allow the prison service to remain stable, while national chairman Mark Fairhurst added that members could go about their daily lives without the threat of removal from the country. The Times reported that Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood had initially resisted granting the exemption, arguing that recruitment should focus on British workers. Justice Secretary David Lammy later said he was in discussions with Mahmood and stressed his preference for local recruitment but that meeting demand for prison places was essential. A Home Office source said prisons were being treated differently because of public safety and national security, and that Mahmood did not oppose the move so long as it was temporary and accompanied by longer-term plans to hire British staff.
A Ministry of Justice source described the exemption as providing breathing space to structure a programme aimed at increasing domestic hiring, while a government spokesperson noted that net migration has fallen by more than two-thirds under the current government and that, while numbers must fall further, public safety remains the first duty of any government and prisons must be able to run safely with experienced staff. Prisons have been able to sponsor visa applications for overseas recruits since 2023 due to a shortage of British applicants; in April, the government disclosed more than 700 Nigerians had been recruited to work in UK prisons last year, accounting for 29% of job applicants and 12% of staff hired in England and Wales. Nigerians were the most common nationality behind Britons to apply for or be offered a job in UK prisons in 2024, followed by applicants from Ghana, who had 140 offers. The Prison Governors Association has noted that a surge of applications from West Africa appears to be driven in part by word of mouth and online recruitment within expatriate communities.
Prison officials say the exemption should provide a window to develop a long-term plan to recruit more officers from the United Kingdom. The government stresses that, despite the exemption, the broader migration policy remains aimed at reducing net arrivals while maintaining public safety and security.
