Latest news with #BenBrindle
Yahoo
15-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Surge in immigration risks ‘pushing down wages' for low-paid Britons
Rapid rises in immigration can depress wages for low-paid locals in countries like Britain, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has found. A 'surge in low-skilled immigration' benefits middle-class workers, but leaves those in lower skilled roles worse off, researchers found. Pay growth for low-skilled native workers slows by 1 percentage point when there is a large increase in immigrants with similar skills, according to modelling by the IMF. Conversely, the IMF found well paid workers actually tend to get a small wage boost in this scenario. Ben Brindle, of the Migration Observatory at Oxford University, said: 'Think about a doctor's surgery. If it's low-skilled immigration and you take on additional receptionists, that might lead to more competition and a slight decrease in wages for receptionists. 'But because you've now got this receptionist answering the phones, doing various bits of paperwork, the doctor can focus more on the medical side of things, and they can apply their skills where they are more productive.' The overall impact is likely to be tempered by the minimum wage, which prevents further falls for the lowest paid. Mr Brindle cautioned that other research from the UK suggested that immigration's impact on wages tended to be small and short-lived, costing no more than two pence an hour. However, the IMF's findings will raise alarm bells in Britain, after the UK experienced an unprecedented rise in net immigration. A surge in new arrivals added 2.3m people to the population in the three years to June 2024. While many have come for humanitarian reasons, a significant proportion have come for economic roles, taking jobs such as staffing British care homes and hospitals. The Office for Budget Responsibility recently found that immigrants on low wages in Britain tend to receive more from the state than they contribute over their lifetime, weighing on public finances. The share of voters pointing to immigration as a top issue facing Britain has steadily risen in recent years. It is currently the second most cited concern after the economy, according to YouGov. Some 44pc of the population say immigration is a significant concern, a similar level to the aftermath of the Brexit referendum. The IMF noted that while immigration typically has a limited impact on overall inflation and wage growth, it can impact certain costs. It said: 'For instance, in the United States, higher rates of immigration are found to lower local goods inflation, but to increase local housing and utilities inflation.' The fund said that overall immigration tended to be positive for the economy. Significantly restricting it reduces global growth by preventing workers from lower-productivity countries helping to plug labour shortages abroad. Mr Brindle said reducing immigration would be challenging. 'It's very much a matter of trade-offs,' he said. 'Care workers are the best example of this. Migration isn't the only way of filling vacancies in the care sector – it's possible to fill them by making care sector jobs more attractive by improving pay and conditions, but that is going to cost money. 'Doing those things is going to mean taking resources away from other priorities for policymakers. You can reduce migration, but it's not a free lunch.' It is not only low-paid workers who risk paying the price of a sharp rise in newcomers. Well-paid Britons could also see their wages fall if there is a spike in the number of highly-skilled workers coming to a country, the IMF suggested. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
The Independent
10-04-2025
- Business
- The Independent
UK visa applications plummet following strict rule changes
Applications for key UK visa routes have plummeted by more than a third in a year, according to new Home Office data. The figures reveal a significant drop in applications across major visa categories, including work, study, and family visas, likely reflecting the impact of stricter immigration rules introduced in early 2024. In the year to March 2025, applications covering 772,200 individuals were submitted, a stark 37 per cent decrease from the nearly 1.24 million applications received in the preceding 12 months. The most dramatic decline was seen in applications from foreign health and care workers and their families. These applications plummeted by 78 per cent, from 359,300 in 2023/24 to just 80,700 in 2024/25. This decrease can be attributed to the ban on overseas care workers introduced by the previous government. The data also highlights a significant impact on student dependents. Applications by family members of sponsored study visa holders fell by a staggering 83 per cent. Applications from the main student applicants themselves saw a more modest decrease of 11 per cent. The stricter rules, including the ban on students bringing family dependents and a substantial increase in the salary threshold for skilled workers to £38,700, appear to be the primary drivers behind these significant shifts in visa application numbers. The previous government introduced a change in January 2024 that stopped students from bringing family members apart from those studying postgraduate research courses or those with government-funded scholarships. Researcher at the Migration Observatory at the University of Oxford, Dr Ben Brindle, said: 'The tightening of immigration rules under the previous government has led to a sharp decline in visa applications over the past year. 'This was driven primarily by a fall in applications from health and care workers and students' family members – most of whom now cannot come to the UK. 'Main applications from health and care workers also fell, possibly reflecting fewer vacancies and government focus on exploitation in the sector. But Dr Brindle said that applications from migrants recruited for jobs outside health and care had fallen less than expected, and that with the increase in salary thresholds 'it appears that many employers are simply paying workers more'. But the decrease, he said, could also be likely driven by employers adjusting to the higher salaries threshold by filling job roles through other means or by leaving them unfilled altogether. The number of main applicants for skilled worker visas dropped by 16 per cent year on year, while applications for their dependents decreased by 13 per cent. Dr Brindle added: 'It's important to remember, however, that the fall in applications was possible because the number of people coming to the UK since Brexit has been so high. 'Despite these declines, applications from non-EU citizens remain well above pre- Brexit levels. As of mid-2024, overall net migration was also still much higher than it had been pre-Brexit.' Key visa routes to the UK are the categories of skilled worker, health and care worker, sponsored study, family, seasonal worker and the youth mobility scheme.
The Independent
10-04-2025
- Business
- The Independent
Visa applications for key routes to UK drop by 37% in a year
The number of migrants applying for key visa routes to the UK has dropped by more than third in a year, data shows. Applications covering a total of 772,200 people were submitted across the main visa categories in the year to March 2025, down 37% from nearly 1.24 million in the previous 12 months. The decline is likely to reflect changes in legal migration rules introduced early in 2024 by the previous Conservative government, including a ban on overseas care workers and students bringing family dependents, and a steep rise in the salary threshold for skilled workers to £38,700. The figures have been published by the Home Office and cover the main worker, study and family visa categories. The drop has been driven by a sharp fall in applications by foreign health and care workers and their family members, which decreased by 78% from 359,300 in 2023/24 to 80,700 in 2024/25. There was an even steeper fall in applications by family members of those wanting to come to the UK on a sponsored study visa, down 83%, though the number of main applicants for this visa dropped by just 11%. The previous government introduced a change in January 2024 that stopped students bringing family members apart from those studying postgraduate research courses or those with government-funded scholarships. Researcher at the Migration Observatory at the University of Oxford, Dr Ben Brindle, said: 'The tightening of immigration rules under the previous government has led to a sharp decline in visa applications over the past year. 'This was driven primarily by a fall in applications from health and care workers and students' family members – most of whom now cannot come to the UK. 'Main applications from health and care workers also fell, possibly reflecting fewer vacancies and government focus on exploitation in the sector. But Dr Brindle said that applications from migrants recruited for jobs outside health and care had fallen less than expected, and that with the increase in salary thresholds 'it appears that many employers are simply paying workers more'. But the decrease, he said, could also be likely driven by employers adjusting to the higher salaries threshold by filling job roles through other means or by leaving them unfilled altogether. The number of main applicants for skilled worker visas dropped by 16% year on year, while applications for their dependents decreased by 13%. Dr Brindle added: 'It's important to remember, however, that the fall in applications was possible because the number of people coming to the UK since Brexit has been so high. 'Despite these declines, applications from non-EU citizens remain well above pre-Brexit levels. As of mid-2024, overall net migration was also still much higher than it had been pre-Brexit.' Key visa routes to the UK are the categories of skilled worker, health and care worker, sponsored study, family, seasonal worker and the youth mobility scheme.
Yahoo
10-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Visa applications for key routes to UK drop by 37% in a year
The number of migrants applying for key visa routes to the UK has dropped by more than third in a year, data shows. Applications covering a total of 772,200 people were submitted across the main visa categories in the year to March 2025, down 37% from nearly 1.24 million in the previous 12 months. The decline is likely to reflect changes in legal migration rules introduced early in 2024 by the previous Conservative government, including a ban on overseas care workers and students bringing family dependents, and a steep rise in the salary threshold for skilled workers to £38,700. The figures have been published by the Home Office and cover the main worker, study and family visa categories. The drop has been driven by a sharp fall in applications by foreign health and care workers and their family members, which decreased by 78% from 359,300 in 2023/24 to 80,700 in 2024/25. There was an even steeper fall in applications by family members of those wanting to come to the UK on a sponsored study visa, down 83%, though the number of main applicants for this visa dropped by just 11%. The previous government introduced a change in January 2024 that stopped students bringing family members apart from those studying postgraduate research courses or those with government-funded scholarships. Researcher at the Migration Observatory at the University of Oxford, Dr Ben Brindle, said: 'The tightening of immigration rules under the previous government has led to a sharp decline in visa applications over the past year. 'This was driven primarily by a fall in applications from health and care workers and students' family members – most of whom now cannot come to the UK. 'Main applications from health and care workers also fell, possibly reflecting fewer vacancies and government focus on exploitation in the sector. But Dr Brindle said that applications from migrants recruited for jobs outside health and care had fallen less than expected, and that with the increase in salary thresholds 'it appears that many employers are simply paying workers more'. But the decrease, he said, could also be likely driven by employers adjusting to the higher salaries threshold by filling job roles through other means or by leaving them unfilled altogether. The number of main applicants for skilled worker visas dropped by 16% year on year, while applications for their dependents decreased by 13%. Dr Brindle added: 'It's important to remember, however, that the fall in applications was possible because the number of people coming to the UK since Brexit has been so high. 'Despite these declines, applications from non-EU citizens remain well above pre-Brexit levels. As of mid-2024, overall net migration was also still much higher than it had been pre-Brexit.' Key visa routes to the UK are the categories of skilled worker, health and care worker, sponsored study, family, seasonal worker and the youth mobility scheme.
BBC News
11-03-2025
- BBC News
What happens to people who cross the Channel on small boats?
The white cliffs of Dover represent the end of a long, dangerous route for tens of thousands of people who travel in small boats across the English while they might have reached their destination, their journey does not end at the Kent all arrivals will begin the process of claiming asylum, which can take months. At the end of December 2024, just under a third of cases had been waiting for more than a year for an initial latest figures show asylum claims reached a record level last year. 125,000 people were awaiting a decision. So what happens while they wait? Unaccompanied children Children who arrive in Dover on small boats without any family members, known as Unaccompanied Child Asylum Seekers (UASCs), will first become Kent County Council's (KCC) responsibility, because that is the county they have arrived recent years, KCC said it has struggled to cope with the number of children it has to look National Transfer Scheme was designed to ease the pressure. It sees other councils around the country take a share of UASCs, equivalent to 0.1% of their population of the leader of Kent County Council said at times it has become "extremely difficult" to transfer unaccompanied minors to other authorities. Adults and families The Home Office is responsible for housing adults and families and in recent years it has had to find extra accommodation to make room for growing includes sites like Napier Barracks, a former military barracks in Folkestone, Kent, and the use of hotels is lower now than it was two years the end of December 2024, 38,079 people were living in asylum hotels in the UK. That is lower than the peak in September 2023, when 56,042 people were in seekers are accommodated all over the latest Home Office figures from December show the North West had the highest number of asylum seekers receiving Home Office support, followed by London and the West Midlands. These people face a number of restrictions while they live here, as Dr Ben Brindle from the Migration Observatory explains:"Most aren't allowed to work, the only people who can are those who have been waiting for a more than a year for their claims to be processed."Asylum seekers can't claim benefits either and that's because they are given an allowance of about £50 plus housing costs if needed." What happens next? Not all applications are successful. In 2024, 53% of initial asylum claims were rejected. That's higher than 2023, when 33% of claims were who are granted asylum are given refugee status for five will have 56 days to move out of their Home Office-funded accommodation, their allowance will stop and they can get a it's unlikely they'll be able to become a British citizen as the government has recently toughened up rules making it almost impossible for people who have entered the UK illegally via a dangerous route to claim citizenship. 'Get a grip' on the system Border Security and Asylum Minister, Angela Eagle, said the government was left a "broken asylum system" and "inherited a huge backlog of asylum claims."Responding to the latest asylum statistics, she said "asylum decision-making collapsed by 70% in the last few months before the election."We've now increased asylum claims in the last three months of [2024]... by 52% so we're beginning to get some order to the system but it will take time to make certain that we can get a grip and start making the system work again."Shadow home secretary Chris Philp described the figures as "no surprise," saying there was "no deterrent".Philp added that the blame for the numbers "lies firmly at Labour's feet, who have been slow to act to tackle the crisis unfolding on our border".
