The UK will no longer issue Visas to low-skilled immigrants

Under its post-Brexit immigration plans, the UK will no longer issue Visas to low-skilled immigrants. The UK Govt. is urging employers to stop depending on cheap labour from Europe. It is, instead, asking employers to invest in retaining workers and developing automation technology.

The UK officially moved away from the EU on 31^st January 2020. The freedom of movement between the UK and the EU would end at the end of the transition year on 31^st December 2020.

The UK Govt. has announced that after 31^st December, EU and non-EU citizens coming to the UK would be treated alike.

Priti Patel, Home Secretary, said that the UK wants to encourage people with the right skills to migrate to the UK. The country wants to drastically cut down the number of low-skilled workers coming from the EU.

Ms Patel also added that businesses could hire from 8 million “economically inactive” people in the UK. However, the SNP disagrees with the idea as most among these 8 million suffer from a disability or illness.

The UK may also expand the definition of “skilled” to include those who studied to an A-level and not just graduates.

The UK may also remove certain farm jobs and waiting tables from the “skilled” category. However, it may include carpentry, childminding, and plastering into it.

How will the new UK immigration system work?

The UK is all set to introduce a points-based immigration system by the end of the year.

According to the BBC, overseas applicants need to score 70 points to qualify under the new immigration system. Having a job offer from the UK and being proficient in the English language may earn an applicant 50 points. Other areas where applicants can score points are education, salary, working in a shortage sector etc.

Here is an example of how an applicant may score 70 points:

Occupation: University Researcher

Points scored:

Job offer: 20 points

Job at an appropriate skill level: 20 points

Proficient in English: 10 points

Salary of £22,000: 0 points

Relevant PhD in a STEM subject: 20 points

Total: 70 points

Pay levels

The minimum salary threshold for skilled workers migrating to the UK may be lowered from the current £30,000 to £25,600.

For people working in shortage occupations, the salary threshold may be further lowered to £20,480. Shortage occupations in the UK include Civil Engineering, Nursing, Psychology and Classical Ballet dancing. People with relevant PhDs for a specific job would also be eligible for a lower salary threshold.

The UK also announced that there would be no cap on the number of skilled workers coming to the UK.

What about the sectors employing low-skilled workers?

The UK Govt. has emphasised that it will not create a separate pathway for low-skilled or low-paid workers. Instead, it has asked employers to adapt and adjust to not having access to low-skilled workers of the EU.

The Govt. further said that businesses in the UK could hire from the 3.2 million EU citizens who have applied to stay back in the UK.

However, Farming, Catering and Nursing bodies have warned that it will be difficult to recruit workers under the new system. The Royal College of Nursing fears that there will not be sufficient workers to meet the health and care needs of the UK. National Farmers’ Union says that the UK Govt. is not paying heed to the food and farming needs of the UK.

The Food and Drink Federation is concerned that bakers, meat processors and workers who make cheese and pasta would not qualify under the new immigration system.

To allay the fears of the above bodies, the UK Govt. has decided to increase the number of seasonal workers in agriculture by four times to 10,000. The Govt. will also make other “youth mobility arrangements” that will help bring 20,000 more workers to the UK every year.

Y-Axis offers a wide range of Visa and Immigration services as well as products to overseas immigrants including UK Tier 1 Entrepreneur Visa, Business Visa for the UK, Study Visa for the UK, Visit Visa for the UK, and Work Visa for the UK.

If you are looking to Study, Work, Visit, Invest or  Migrate to the UK, talk to Y-Axis, the World’s No.1 Immigration & Visa Company.

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