UK Visa Rules Tightened: What Are the New Rules for Employers?
The British government is changing and tightening the rules for foreign migrants to come to work and live in the UK.
.png)
Ministers are under pressure to legally tighten immigration policy after a record 745,000 migrants arrive in the UK by 2022.
British Prime Minister Rishi Sonak, while commenting on the official figures of foreign immigrants immigrating to the UK, said that the number is "very high".
What are the new immigration laws now?
Most people wishing to work in the UK will still need to apply for a visa through a points-based system, the Points Base System (PBS).
However, from spring 2024 they will need to have a higher salary as well as a job offer to get a work visa.
Under the new rules, the minimum income for illegal immigrants in the UK must be £38,700 a year, up from £26,200 a year.
However, this will not apply to jobs in the health sector and social service sector. But foreign migrants working in the sector will no longer be allowed to bring their family members to the UK.
The points system was first adopted by the Labor government in 2008, when it applied to migrants from non-EU countries. It was then changed by the Conservatives after the Brexit vote.
The current points-based system for immigration in the UK, which includes immigrants from European and non-European countries, was introduced in late 2020.
How does the points base system work?
Foreign applicants wishing to immigrate to the UK need sufficient points to obtain a skilled worker visa.
All applicants need to achieve above the minimum proficiency level and initial 50 points of English language proficiency.
The remaining 20 points can be earned from a combination of salary, for example in areas where there is a shortage of employees or having a PhD degree in a related field can earn points.
The standard fee for a skilled visa is usually between £719 and £1,500 and applicants also have to pay a healthcare surcharge of £624 for each year of their stay.
The health surcharge will now rise to £1,035 a year.
What are the sectors with shortage of employees?
There is a 'shortage sector list' to help employers fill certain roles.
These jobs have a minimum salary threshold, making it easier for applicants to earn the required number of points to obtain a visa.
Currently this list includes these jobs:
Jobs in health and education sector
Care worker jobs
Graphic designers
Construction workers
Veterinarians
Employers used to pay foreigners 20 percent less than the prevailing rate to fill these positions, but that will be phased out next spring.
The Labor Party criticized the move as a "wage concession" which it said allowed employers to undercut local wages.
From spring 2024, foreigners working in the care sector will not be allowed to bring dependent family members with them.
The government says it will also review the list of sectors with shortage of employees and reduce its number.
What will happen to family visas?
The government is raising the minimum income for those bringing family members to the UK on a family visa to £38,700 a year from spring 2024.
Currently the minimum income required is £18,600.
An estimated 70,000 people came to the UK on family visas in the year ending June 2023.
What is the number of immigrants to the UK?
In the financial year ending June 2023, at least 1.18 million people came to the UK for a one-year stay and an estimated 5.8 million returned.
This means that the difference between the number of people coming and going is 672,000 people and these were the people who migrated to the UK and came to the UK for the purpose of permanent residence.
In the year 2022, the number of displaced people appeared to be significantly higher or hit a record high of 745,000.
Most of those arriving in the UK were from countries outside the EU.
The latest figures show that 968,000 came from non-European countries.
According to the ONS statement, the main reason non-European migrants came was for education (39 per cent), followed by work (33 per cent) and humanitarian reasons (nine per cent).
The top five non-European countries were:
India: 253000
Nigeria: 141,000
China: 89000
Pakistan: 55000
Ukraine: 35,000
The collection of official immigration data faced difficulties during the corona epidemic and there have been many changes in the data collection method.
In the year 2022, the total number of immigrants in the UK will reach 745 thousand.
How many students come to UK?
In the 12 months to the end of September 2023, the government issued 486,107 study visas.
Half of them were given to Indian and Chinese nationals.
Students from Nigeria were the most common nationality among student visa holders,
