From 4 April, the increase to the minimum salary required for those arriving on the Skilled Worker visa, from £26,200 to £38,700, will come into force…reports Asian Lite News
Measures to transform the UK’s legal migration system, bolster border security and drive down unsustainable and unfair levels of migration will come into force within weeks, the Home Secretary has announced today.
It comes after the Prime Minister and Home Secretary set out a major new package of reforms in December, delivering the biggest ever reduction in net migration and tackling exploitation across the immigration system.
The robust changes, which will curb abuse of the migration system, and ensure those choosing to make the UK their home can afford to do so, will begin to come into effect as early as March and will mean 300,000 people who came to the UK last year would now not be able to come.
The measures will crack down on rising migration, help curb the abuse of the Health and Care visa route, where we have seen people come to the UK for care worker jobs that do not exist or are paid significantly less than the required salary for a migrant worker on this route, and ensure British labour is not undercut by overseas workers.
Home Secretary James Cleverly said, “I’ve been clear that migration is too high and we must get back to sustainable levels. Last year I set out robust measures to reduce the numbers coming into our country – tightening the rules on care workers, skilled workers, and making sure that people can support their family members that they bring over. It is a firm approach, but a fair one, and gives those affected time to prepare whilst ensuring that migration comes down. The British people want to see action, not words. We are delivering the change we promised and which they expect, lifting pressure on public services and protecting British workers with the utmost urgency.”
Tom Pursglove MP, Minister for Legal Migration and the Border, said, “Our comprehensive plan to tackle net migration will not only bring numbers down substantially, but also tackles the inherent unfairness of a system which, if left untouched, would reward employers seeking to recruit cheap labour from overseas at the expense of the British worker. Delivering change on this scale and at such a pace is hard and challenging work, but we’re making strong headway, with further improvements to modernise and enhance the security of the UK border continuing throughout 2024.”
From 4 April, the increase to the minimum salary required for those arriving on the Skilled Worker visa, from £26,200 to £38,700, will come into force. This 48% rise will drive down numbers, reduce pressure on public services and prevent the undercutting of British workers by employers who look to recruit cheap labour from overseas. Workers on a Health and Care visa and on health and education national pay scales will be exempt from this specific threshold.
Meanwhile, the laying of the new Immigration Rules on 14 March will include the removal of the 20% going rate discount for occupations on the Shortage Occupation List, which will be abolished in favour of a new Immigration Salary List from early April. This follows a recommendation from the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC), which will now advise government on which occupations should be temporarily added to the new list initially, in time for March.
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