UK INTRODUCES 5 TOUGH VISA RULES TO CUT IMMIGRATION
Did you know that the UK Government is rewriting some laws for those who will be allowed to enter the UK and stay here to work?
Official figures revealed that net migration hit 745,000 for 2022 and the ministers have now been put under pressure by the public to act on legal migration.
The present levels of migration are “far too high” according to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.
What has changed in the new immigration rules?
To this effect, there will still be an application for a UK visa on a points-based system by most of those keen to work within the United Kingdom.
However, from the spring of 2024, the applicants will need a higher-paying job offer to obtain a work visa.
They will have to earn more than £38,700, which is a third more than the current minimum salary of £26,200.
For some careers, such as health and social care, however, this will not be applicable.
On the other hand, overseas care workers will not be allowed to bring in family dependents in that area.
The Labor government first adopted a points system that was initially applied to migrants from non-EU countries in 2008. Later, after the Brexit vote, it was revised by the Conservatives.
PBS commenced at the close of 2020 and covers both EU and non-EU migrants.
How does the Points-Based System work?
Applicants must achieve enough qualifying points to be eligible for a skilled worker visa.
Every applicant must score the first 50 points out of the total points which is available to all applicants from jobs above minimal skill and speaking in English.
The other 20 points may be derived from earnings, working in a shortage occupation, or holding a relevant PhD.
Most skilled visa costs about £719 – £1,500 and a health charge of £624 per year.
The health surcharge will now increase to £1035 per annum.
What is a ‘shortage occupation list’?
There is also a “shortage occupation list” which helps employers fill some positions.
Applicants are awarded a limited number of points, and these jobs have a lower salary threshold to meet that level.
Jobs currently on the list include:
- Jobs in health and education
- Care workers
- Graphic Designers
- Construction workers
- Vets
To fill those positions, employers were allowed to pay foreign workers only 80% of the “going rate” of the job. This will be done away with when spring begins next year.
The measure was labeled by labor as a “salary discount” because it allowed employers to bypass local wages.
As of spring 2024, care workers from overseas will not be allowed to travel along with their family dependents.
The government also proposes to revisit the Occupation Shortage List and trim the number of occupations listed.
What about family visas?
From spring 2024, the government will also increase its minimum income level for individuals bringing family members to the UK on a family visa to £38,700.
Currently, £18,600 is a minimum threshold for income.
Around 70,000 persons traveled on the family visa to the UK in the last 12 months until June 2023.
What is the number of migrants who are coming to the UK?
As such, the number of arrivals in the year ending June 2023 was recorded at 1,180,000 with projected departures standing at 508,000.
Hence net migration – which is the balance between those who came in and left it – amounted to 672,000.
Net migration hit a record 745,000 in 2022.
Most of those landing in the UK were non-EU citizens.
Data indicate 968,000 out-migrants from non-EU countries.
The ONS release found that 39% came for study, 33% came for work, and 9% came due to humanitarian reasons.
The top five non-EU nationalities were:
- Indian (253,000)
- Nigerian (141,000)
- Chinese (89,000)
- Pakistani (55,000)
- Ukrainian (35,000)
Statistics regarding official immigration were impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, and there have been many changes in how these statistics are gathered.”
UK net migration 2022 revised up to 745,000.
How many students do the UK receive?
The government granted 486,107 study visas for twelve months up to September 2023.
Fifty percent of them were issued to people from India and China.
The second biggest group after the Chinese was the Nigerian students who came after Pakistani and American students.
Students on postgraduate courses could also apply for visas for qualifying dependents: any dependent such as a husband, wife, civil partner, or a child under 18 years old.
A total of 152,980 dependants’ visas were given out in the year ending September 2023.
However, from January 2024, there will be no more right to bring dependents for international students except those who study in postgraduate courses which are designated as research-only programmes.
Some of the foreign students will lose their rights to bring their families to the UK.
Graduate visa enables students who have completed their degree to stay in the UK for 2 years post-graduation (3 years for students with doctorate degrees). For the year ending September 2023, 104,501 such visas were issued, exclusive of dependants.
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