In a white paper released on Monday, 12th May, the UK government has announced plans to overhaul the “broken” immigration system and significantly reduce migration.
Titled restoring control over the immigration system, the paper sets out plans to increase the qualifying period for settlement, overhaul student and graduate visas, expand English language requirements for migrants and increase the immigration skills charge for employers.
It is understood that levels of net migration have risen from 224,000 in the year to June 2019 to a record high of 906,000 in the year ending June 2023, representing a four-fold increase in less than four years.
Keir Starmer, UK Prime minister said: “If people want to come to Britain to start a new life, they must contribute, learn our language and integrate. And if employers want to bring workers from overseas, then they must also invest in the skills of workers already in Britain.”
According to Starmer, the white paper signalled a “new era” where Britain is competitive in attracting the world’s best talent, but “weans” its economy off its reliance on “cheap labour from overseas.”
“The end result will be a reformed immigration system that no longer ignores the millions of people who want the opportunity to train and contribute. And that backs our young people with the hope of good, well-paid jobs in their community,” he said.
However, Ben Willmott, head of public policy at the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), has warned that the proposed restrictions may deepen existing workforce challenges in sectors such as social care and construction.
“The potential changes announced today would further tighten the rules on the recruitment of overseas workers and leave employers in some sectors such as social care and construction questioning how they will find the workers needed to keep essential services going.”
According to Willmott, plans to reform the system needed to go “hand in hand with a long-term workforce strategy to ensure employers can find workers with the skills they need to drive productivity and economic growth.”
“We won’t tackle the underlying causes of why employers recruit overseas workers in such numbers until we reform our flawed and underfunded vocational education and training system and offer better career guidance to young people,” he argued.
“We must also address the collapse in apprenticeships, which lies at the heart of many of the skills shortages employers are facing. This should include an ambitious new skills strategy designed to help address the root causes of skills shortages in the economy.”
Key changes to the policy include increase in qualifying period for settlement; overhaul of student visas; changes to graduate visas; increased threshold for skilled worker visas; increased English language requirements; end of overseas recruitment in adult social care; critical shortage occupations; changes to family immigration and dependants; employment of refugees; enhancing access to top-tier talent; and immigration skills.
