New Immigration And Visa Policies In The UK Are About To Take Effect
New Immigration And Visa Policies In The UK Are About To Take Effect: The UK government has announced various measures they will use to tackle UK immigration, such that they could deliver the biggest cut in net migration that will reduce immigration. However, they started work immediately by launching a new border security measure and proposing measure updates to various UK visas. Home Secretary Yvette Cooper has announced plans to strengthen the UK’s border security and tackle criminal smuggling gangs, making money from small boat crossings. A new border security command will be established and rapid recruitment for a leader to head up the new organisation has begun.
New Immigration And Visa Policies In The UK
The new Border Security Commander will provide strategic direction and draw together the work of the National Crime Agency, intelligence agencies, police and immigration enforcement and Border Force to better protect the borders and pursue the smuggling gangs, facilitating small boat crossings. The legal measures to reduce net migration are as follows. Labour pledged to reduce net migration, aiming to lower the annual figures to a couple of hundred thousand. They have not set a target, anticipating that their policies will achieve this reduction.
The office for Budget Responsibility forecasts that net migration will stabilize around 350,000 annually over the next five years, taking into account the impact of the conservatives immigration policies. Without further intervention, the fiscal impact of 350,000 annual net migration is projected to reduce public sector borrowing by £7.4 billion by 2028 – 2029, which would help to improve public sector finances.
A significant proportion of the net migration figure are international students:
The Migration Advisory Committee has noted that the tuition fees help expand course offerings, make up financial losses on domestic students, and research. They also participate as a short term labor supply for businesses, both as students and those on graduate visas.
Skilled worker visas.
Labor does not intend to cap any immigration routes, but states that they intend to link immigration and skills policy more closely. They aim to address shortages in construction, IT and engineering by reforming the apprenticeship levy to skill and train resident workers.
They also intend to:
1. Require sponsors in key sectors, along with adult care sponsors, to adhere to a government Determined Workforce Plan and Fair Pay agreement.
2. Remove occupations from the Immigration Salary List, (formerly the Shortage Occupation List), where a sector is shown not to be engaging with its workforce Plan
3. Increase visa penalties for employers who do not comply with minimum wage and other employment laws.
4. Stop individual companies from sponsoring workers if they are considered not to be doing enough to carry out workforce training.
5. Strengthen the Migration Advisory Committee and link it to skills bodies UK wide. The Department for Work and Pensions and the Industrial Strategy Council.
Health and care visas.
Labor does not intend to reverse the current prohibition on carers and senior carers being able to bring family members to the UK. Their plan is to establish a new body to enforce employment rights, and to instruct it to investigate the exploitation of migrant workers in the social care sector.
Creative workers, youth mobility and seasonal workers.
Labour may negotiate new arrangements with the EU for touring performers to ease post-Brexit administrative burdens. They have no plan to negotiate a youth mobility scheme with the EU. Labour may introduce legislation and enforcement measures to tackle exploitation of seasonal workers under this route.
Family Visas.
Labour have broadly supported the increase to the minimum income requirement, which was increased from 18 600 per year to 29,000 per year from 11th March 2024.
Student and graduate routes.
The labor government have said they will ask the Mac to review the restrictions on students and dependents of students under the student visa route for PSW visa. There have been no specific policy announcements about these routes.
EU Settlement scheme.
There have been ongoing concerns regarding the administration of the EU Settlement Scheme. Applicants were the first group of migrants to be granted digital immigration status, the decision having been made to phase out physical immigration documents, and there have been reported problems for pre-settled and settled status holders improving their status in the UK and their right to rent and work, and accessing government services such as the NHS. The new government will need to get to grips with the various problems.
Immigration fees.
There have been no announcements yet regarding fees, which were increased significantly by the last government. Those are the various policies that have already started coming to effect and the rest will come to effect soon. Don’t forget to Follow our whatsapp channel for upcoming updates.
JOIN WITH US WHATSAPP CHANNEL: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Va4bIhd6GcGCVFJLgE2L
UK IMMIGRATION NEWS UPDATES
Good News! UK Home Office Begins Responding to COS Work Permits
International Healthcare RECRUITMENT IN UK| NHS UK VACANCIES 2024
IRELAND HSE RECRUITING 2200 HEALTH PROFESSIONALS | healthcare jobs in Ireland