UK home secretary Sajid Javid revealed a much-delayed white paper on post Brexit visas & new skills based immigration system on Wednesday. The strategy lodged will remove cap on the number of UK work visa issued & enable an unlimited number of highly skilled workers from India to migrate to UK.
The proposals of this white paper will mark the greatest overhaul of Britain’s immigration system in 40 years as the new immigration system is based on skills & talents of a worker, rather than the place they come from.
The strategy is likely to benefit Indian students & professionals, attract talented individuals from across the globe & boost UK’s economy in the long run. It brought a wave of good news to innumerable engineers & doctors who aspire to work & settle in UK.
Insight into the New Skills Based Immigration System
The New Policy will bring the current Dual System to an end that admits only highly skilled workers from outside UK & workers of all skill levels from EU. It will further end the requirement for Resident Labor Markets Tests by UK employers whereby the businesses advertise the positions to UK workers first.
According to New Skills-based UK work Visa Rule, annual salary threshold will be 30,000 Pounds for EU and non-EU citizens & requires sponsorship from the employer, just like a tier-2 Visa. It announces complete eradication of cap on the number of UK work visa issued which is currently 20,700 per year. With an end to Resident Market Labor Test, workers equipped with intermediate & graduate level skills will be able to attain Skilled Work Visa. Further it enables workers to bring their dependents, go for other options or settle permanently in UK.
The work & earn time period of International Students after the completion of their bachelor’s or master degree has been extended from 4 to 6 months. However, the duration for PhD students has been extended to 12 months.
Greatest Overhaul to British Immigration System in 40 Years
While addressing media, UK home secretary Sajid Javid said that the proposals have marked the biggest change to their immigration system in a generation. Further he added that motive behind a skills-based approach is to attract the brightest & best migrants to UK.
Following the proposal of new skills based immigration system by Sajid Javid in the House of Commons, MPs lifted up concerns in regards to the subsequent supply of workers in agriculture tourism, construction, care services & many who come to EU for work but their salaries do not meet the skilled-based threshold.
To which Javid replied that the system will remain versatile as workers on lower salaries may be factored out from threshold if they are opting for shorter occupations.
Short-Term Workers Scheme
The white paper proposals also announced a new short-term workers scheme according to which workers in lower-skilled jobs that do not meet skill based salary threshold can come to UK to work for 12 months. During that period they can switch employers as no sponsorship will be required. However, the short-term workers will not be able to extend the duration of their stay in UK.
Conclusion
The latest proposals are set to be positioned in from December 2021 & it is most likely to benefit Indians as Indian industry has longed for a transparent, fair & skill based immigration system and it seems Wednesday’s proposals are going some way to help Indians in achieving goals.
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