UK businesses are now required to pay overseas workers coming to
the UK on a Skilled Worker visa significantly more, as the
government clamps down on cut-price foreign labour and continues
to deliver on its commitment to drive down net
migration.
Part of a robust and fair package of measures announced by the
Home Secretary in December, which will mean 300,000 people who
arrived in the UK last year would now not be able to, the general
salary threshold for those arriving in the UK on a Skilled Worker
visa has now increased by 48%, from £26,200 to £38,700.
This increase will help ensure the UK's immigration system
focuses on recruiting high-skilled workers, helping to grow the
UK economy while bringing overall numbers down.
The government is clear that no sector should be permanently
reliant on immigration, so today, the shortage occupation list
has also been abolished, with employers no longer able to pay
migrants less than UK workers in shortage occupations.
A new immigration salary list (ISL) has been created, following
advice from the expert and independent Migration Advisory
Committee (MAC). Roles on the list
will only be included where they are skilled and in shortage, and
if it is sensible to include them considering the efforts being
made by sectors to invest in the resident workforce.
Inclusion on the list must not serve to reduce pay and undermine
the recruitment of British workers. Employers are encouraged to
invest in training, upskilling, and hiring domestic workers
first.
It comes as the government takes decisive action to support
British people into work, in one of the biggest employment
interventions in a generation, through its £2.5 billion Back to
Work plan. This will help break down barriers to work for over a
million people who are long term unemployed, long term sick, or
disabled.
Home Secretary James Cleverly said:
It's time to turn off the taps and end the flow of cheap workers
from abroad. Mass migration is unsustainable and it's simply not
fair. It undercuts the wages of hard-working people who are just
trying to make ends meet.
We are refocusing our immigration system to prioritise the
brightest and best who have the skills our economy needs, while
reducing overall numbers.
I promised the British people an immigration system that serves
their interests, and to bring numbers down - these tough measures
deliver on that commitment. Employers must also play their part
and put British workers first.
Work and Pensions Secretary Mel Stride said:
For too long we have relied on labour from abroad when there is
great talent right here in the UK.
I'm determined to give jobseekers the support they need to get on
and get ahead through our £2.5 billion Back to Work Plan, while
our network of Jobcentres are providing apprenticeships,
bootcamps, and skills programmes to help even more people into
work.
The changes coming into force today coupled with my next
generation of welfare reforms will unlock the huge potential of
the great British workforce.
The government has put in place an accelerated and comprehensive
programme of reforms to address unsustainable numbers of legal
arrivals in the UK.
In January, the government ended the ability of nearly all
postgraduate students to bring dependants to the UK. A drastic
fall in student dependant applications is expected this year,
with early indications already of this downward trend.
Last month, reforms to restrict care workers from bringing family
members came into force. An estimated 120,000 dependants
accompanied 100,000 workers on the route in the year ending
September 2023, who would now not be able to come.
Care providers are also now required to register with the Care
Quality Commission, the industry regulator, if they are
sponsoring migrant care workers. This follows clear evidence that
care workers have been offered visas under false pretences,
having been recruited for jobs that don't exist or being paid far
below the minimum wage required for their work.
The Home Secretary has also commissioned a review of the Graduate
route for international students to prevent abuse, protect the
integrity and quality of UK higher education, and ensure it works
in the best interests of the UK.
The Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) will review the demand
for the Graduate route, through which a total of 213,250 visas
have been granted since it was established, to ensure it is fit
for purpose and focused on attracting the best and brightest to
the UK.
This follows concerns raised after analysis by
the MAC revealed that the
number of international postgraduate students attending
institutions with the lowest UCAS entry requirements has
increased by over 250% between 2018 and 2022. It is expected to
report later this year.
On 11 April, the first step in an incremental increase to the
minimum income required for Family visas will come into force. By
early 2025, this will have reached £38,700, helping to ensure
dependants brought to the UK are supported financially.
The government's plan to tackle illegal migration is also
working, with small boat crossings down by around a third last
year. Illegal migration is an international challenge the
government is tackling on all fronts, including working with
international partners and clamping down on the criminal gangs
with stepped-up enforcement.
