Latest news with #skilledworker
The National
5 days ago
- Business
- The National
Best photos of June 2: From a tomato fight to fog over Sydney
Under the UK government's proposals, migrants will have to spend 10 years in the UK before being able to apply for citizenship. Skilled worker visas will require a university degree, and there will be tighter restrictions on recruitment for jobs with skills shortages. But what are described as "high-contributing" individuals such as doctors and nurses could be fast-tracked through the system. Language requirements will be increased for all immigration routes to ensure a higher level of English. Rules will also be laid out for adult dependants, meaning they will have to demonstrate a basic understanding of the language. The plans also call for stricter tests for colleges and universities offering places to foreign students and a reduction in the time graduates can remain in the UK after their studies from two years to 18 months.
Free Malaysia Today
12-05-2025
- Business
- Free Malaysia Today
UK to end ‘failed free market experiment' in immigration
British interior minister, Yvette Cooper, said they are taking decisive action to restore control and order to the system. (EPA Images pic) LONDON : The British government outlined plans on Sunday to end what it called the 'failed free market experiment' in mass immigration by restricting skilled worker visas to graduate-level jobs and forcing businesses to increase training for local workers. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is under pressure to cut net migration after the success of Nigel Farage's right-wing, anti-immigration Reform UK party in local elections this month. Under the government's new plans, skilled visas will only be granted to people in graduate jobs, while visas for lower-skilled roles will only be issued in areas critical to the nation's industrial strategy, and in return businesses must increase training of British workers. The Labour government said the changes will be part of a policy document, known as a white paper, to be published on Monday setting out how ministers plan to reduce immigration. High levels of legal migration were one of the major drivers behind the vote to leave the EU in 2016 with voters unhappy about the free movement of workers across the bloc. After Britain eventually left the EU in 2020, the then Conservative government reduced the threshold to allow workers in categories such as yoga teachers, dog walkers and DJs to be eligible for skilled worker visas. 'We inherited a failed immigration system where the previous government replaced free movement with a free market experiment,' Yvette Cooper, the British interior minister, said in a statement. 'We are taking decisive action to restore control and order to the immigration system.' While post-Brexit changes to visas saw a sharp drop in the number of EU migrants to Britain, new work visa rules and people arriving from Ukraine and Hong Kong under special visa schemes led to a surge in immigration. Net migration, or the number of people coming to Britain minus the number leaving, rose to a record 906,000 people in the year to June 2023, up from the 184,000 people who arrived in the same period during 2019, when Britain was still in the EU.
Yahoo
11-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
A welcome first step to cutting migration
The horse may have bolted, but the Government is at least attempting to shut the stable door. Changes to be announced on Monday will see skilled worker visas restricted to those holding degree-level qualifications, with carve-outs for health and social care, and lower skilled workers in 'critical sectors'. While a step in the right direction, however, these changes will not be nearly enough to fix the mess Britain finds itself in. Changes to the eligibility of care workers to win visas for dependants appear to have already substantially reduced the number of low-skilled workers arriving. In 2024, roughly 50 per cent of those awarded skilled worker visas possessed qualifications below degree level. The effect of this change is likely to be limited. Roughly 58,000 visas were granted to applicants for skilled worker visas outside of the health and social care route in 2024, and a similar number to their dependents. If half of those who currently succeed in applying were to be barred, the total reduction in migration would be of a similar magnitude. Factor in the carve-outs and the redirection of demand to alternative routes, however, and the real change may be substantially smaller. With Home Office officials now reportedly sceptical about forecast reductions in long-term net migration – with fears that it could settle around 500,000 people per year – it is clear that far greater restrictions will be needed to bring the inflow down to a politically acceptable – or indeed economically sustainable – level. These will require the Government weaning itself off the use of migration as a short-term fix to structural policy issues. The use of the graduate visa, for instance, to prop up demand for courses offered by financially imperilled universities, is a self-evident absurdity that sees institutions selling the right to work in the UK under the guise of selling education as an export. Equally, attempting to hold down the wages of care workers rather than correct a flawed funding model is a short-term fix likely to rack up long-term costs. While he has made a welcome start, Sir Keir Starmer is unlikely to relish making the trade-offs that further restrictions will require. As evidence on the fiscal costs of low-skilled migration, the strains on infrastructure, and the political backlash demonstrate, however, it would be better to address the issue now rather than later. 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.
Telegraph
11-05-2025
- Business
- Telegraph
A welcome first step to cutting migration
The horse may have bolted, but the Government is at least attempting to shut the stable door. Changes to be announced on Monday will see skilled worker visas restricted to those holding degree-level qualifications, with carve-outs for health and social care, and lower skilled workers in 'critical sectors'. While a step in the right direction, however, these changes will not be nearly enough to fix the mess Britain finds itself in. Changes to the eligibility of care workers to win visas for dependants appear to have already substantially reduced the number of low-skilled workers arriving. In 2024, roughly 50 per cent of those awarded skilled worker visas possessed qualifications below degree level. The effect of this change is likely to be limited. Roughly 58,000 visas were granted to applicants for skilled worker visas outside of the health and social care route in 2024, and a similar number to their dependents. If half of those who currently succeed in applying were to be barred, the total reduction in migration would be of a similar magnitude. Factor in the carve-outs and the redirection of demand to alternative routes, however, and the real change may be substantially smaller. With Home Office officials now reportedly sceptical about forecast reductions in long-term net migration – with fears that it could settle around 500,000 people per year – it is clear that far greater restrictions will be needed to bring the inflow down to a politically acceptable – or indeed economically sustainable – level. These will require the Government weaning itself off the use of migration as a short-term fix to structural policy issues. The use of the graduate visa, for instance, to prop up demand for courses offered by financially imperilled universities, is a self-evident absurdity that sees institutions selling the right to work in the UK under the guise of selling education as an export. Equally, attempting to hold down the wages of care workers rather than correct a flawed funding model is a short-term fix likely to rack up long-term costs. While he has made a welcome start, Sir Keir Starmer is unlikely to relish making the trade-offs that further restrictions will require. As evidence on the fiscal costs of low-skilled migration, the strains on infrastructure, and the political backlash demonstrate, however, it would be better to address the issue now rather than later.
Malay Mail
11-05-2025
- Business
- Malay Mail
UK plans to end ‘failed free market experiment' in immigration, restricting skilled worker visas
LONDON, May 11 — The British government outlined plans today to end what it called the 'failed free market experiment' in mass immigration by restricting skilled worker visas to graduate-level jobs and forcing businesses to increase training for local workers. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is under pressure to cut net migration after the success of Nigel Farage's right-wing, anti-immigration Reform UK party in local elections this month. Under the government's new plans, skilled visas will only be granted to people in graduate jobs, while visas for lower-skilled roles will only be issued in areas critical to the nation's industrial strategy, and in return businesses must increase training of British workers. The Labour government said the changes will be part of a policy document, known as a white paper, to be published tomorrow setting out how ministers plan to reduce immigration. High levels of legal migration were one of the major drivers behind the vote to leave the European Union in 2016 with voters unhappy about the free movement of workers across the bloc. After Britain eventually left the EU in 2020, the then Conservative government reduced the threshold to allow workers in categories such as yoga teachers, dog walkers and DJs to be eligible for skilled worker visas. 'We inherited a failed immigration system where the previous government replaced free movement with a free market experiment,' Yvette Cooper, the British interior minister, said in a statement. 'We are taking decisive action to restore control and order to the immigration system.' While post-Brexit changes to visas saw a sharp drop in the number of European Union migrants to Britain, new work visa rules and people arriving from Ukraine and Hong Kong under special visa schemes led to a surge in immigration. Net migration, or the number of people coming to Britain minus the number leaving, rose to a record 906,000 people in the year to June 2023, up from the 184,000 people who arrived in the same period during 2019, when Britain was still in the EU. — Reuters
