LONDON — The UK government has announced plans to tighten immigration by limiting skilled worker visas to graduate-level jobs and requiring businesses to train more British workers.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s administration aims to move away from what it calls a “failed free market experiment” in mass migration, responding to growing pressure after Reform UK’s strong performance in recent local elections.

Under the proposed policy, visas for lower-skilled roles will only be granted for sectors vital to the national industrial strategy. A white paper detailing the reforms will be released tomorrow. The changes come amid longstanding concerns over high legal migration, a key issue in the 2016 Brexit vote.