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UK’s Immigration Points System set to kill off young Migrant Workers
August 18th, 2009 by Barry PotierBritish companies look set to suffer collateral damage in the government’s rush to demonstrate its credentials as tough on immigration. The switch to a new points based system, meant to bar all but the best and most needed workers from outside the European Union, was being planned long before Gordon Brown controversially threw his weight behind British jobs for British Workers two years ago.
Indeed, the government has sought to take a more hard line approach since the 2005 election, drawing up a working visa regime that was straightforward and objective about whom it allowed into the country. Despite that gestation period, leading immigration specialists argue that the system was rushed into existence last year, largely for political reasons.
The new points-based system has five tiers whereby only non EU citizens who score a certain number of points will be allowed in within the following categories:-
Tier 1 People looking for highly-skilled employment in the UK, entrepreneurs looking to buy businesses or to make substantial investments
Tier 2 Skilled workers who have a job offer from a licensed company or organisation, they must be coming to work in jobs that the UK is finding it difficult to fill domestically; includes the transfer of overseas workers by multinational companies with a UK base
Tier 3 Lower-skilled workers – suspended until shortages emerge
Tier 4 People aged over 15 who want to study
Tier 5 Limited number of temporary workers ranging from sportspeople and charity workers to those in government authorised programmes and those coming under international agreements
While lawyers and business groups praise the UK Borders Agency for reacting to problems, particularly in the past few months, some have also criticised the government for not heeding earlier warnings on potential pitfalls.
There are also complaints at why the government needed to take such a rigid approach to big business when the new measures were primarily aimed at soothing the electorate’s fears on competition for jobs from low-skilled overseas workers or unscrupulous companies cheating the system.
Other complaints centre on the fact companies must now “self-certify” overseas employees, leaving them potentially liable for oversights in their applications or the behaviour of recruits – they are, for example, required to update immigration officials whenever a mobile phone number is changed.
The rigid “box-ticking” approach for companies is, lawyers say, working well for straightforward applications but is far less able to cope with anomalies. These crop up regularly and were dealt with well by the previous work permit system, in which applications were assigned to a case worker empowered to consider unusual circumstances.
Indeed, a reason the government was keen to enforce the changes was that the system, while rigidly objective, would be less open to abuse, cutting the number of non EU worker categories from 83 to five.
But after intense lobbying by business, it is expected to report on Wednesday 19th August that transfers should continue to be allowed. It may seek guarantees, however, that workers do not then seek to settle in the UK. The committee will also announce whether more professions are to be made off limits to non EU workers because of the recession.
What are your views? are you for British Jobs for British Workers at all costs or will this simply do more harm than good? please let us know your thoughts.
Tags: British Jobs, British Workers, Immigration, Migrant Workers
September 3rd, 2009 at 10:32 am
This goverment should have done this many years ago, other countries do it.
September 3rd, 2009 at 11:30 am
This new approach is to counter the British and Commonwealth office from having to allow vast numbers of people from Britains former colonies access to British jobs health, education,unemployment benefits and many othe benefits from an already over subscribed and fast becoming a bankrupt system.
Some may say this is good and this is bad. Britain is a small country with limited resources and has been more than generous for over half a century. If we British are made unwelcome in many lands including here in the EU then I must say British jobs for British people. Colour and creed excluded here.
The party is over and now is the time to close the door wish your guests well and tidy up the mess. And hopefully start a new day and maybe have a new party another day.
December 17th, 2009 at 12:42 pm
The new legislation has left work permit holders under the old dispensation stranded. Whilst our professional experience and expertise were in shortage we were welcomed into the job market with the hope of settling and starting a new life in this country. Due to no fault of such individuals the economic down turn has left many of us without work due to redundancies. We came to the UK in 2001 with the objective of settling and starting new lifes for our children, but are now left destitute as we are not allowed to do contract work and trying to find permanent employment is not the easiest in the current climate. We have no recourse to any assistance even though we have paid our dues in terms of NI and tax contributions. All we ask is for the opportunity to work in the same fields we came over to start a new life and not be left stranded and tossed aside like useless rags.