The UK government hasn’t wasted any time implementing the first measures in its immigration white paper, which aims to stop employers recruiting lesser skilled roles from abroad and focus on upskilling the UK workforce.
This week’s statement of changes to the immigration regulations contains the first of many white paper changes that affect who employers can hire, on what salary and how long they may need to be sponsored for. This week’s opening salvo, effective from 22 July, raises skills and salary thresholds for sponsoring overseas workers and ends immigration routes for care workers and over 100 other occupations.
Skilled worker sponsorship has been employers’ main tool for hiring migrant talent since Brexit ended freedom of movement. The statement of changes presented to parliament this week raises the minimum skill level for sponsoring new skilled workers from RQF Level 3 (school-leaver or A-level equivalent) to RQF6 (degree-level in skillset, not necessarily academic achievement). This means that from 22 July, 111 occupations will no longer be deemed sufficiently skilled to qualify for a new skilled worker visa. These include chefs, publicans, dispensing opticians, veterinary nurses, butchers and fitness instructors.
Employers will be able to continue to sponsor those already here on the skilled worker visa in these occupations under transitionary measures which will hopefully continue until this cohort has been in the UK long enough to settle.
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