LONDON – The UK government is poised to discourage legal migration by increasing the minimum salary for foreign workers.
An anticipated revision will likely increase the minimum salary threshold for skilled worker visas, currently standing at £26,200 though Home Secretary James Cleverly is anticipated to announce these measures in the House of Commons soon.
As part of the anti-migration reforms, it is expected that limits on healthcare worker visas and constraints on the number of dependents migrants can bring to the UK will also be implemented besides changing specific student visa conditions.
This step – being vividly seen as anti-migration – follows mounting pressure on ministers to address the surge in legal migration, highlighted by recent statistics; as per the figures, 745,000 net migrations were recorded in the previous year.
Although the exact minimum salary remains unconfirmed, reports suggest it might climb to over £35,000 or even £38,000. Unconfirmed reports also imply that the government could overhaul the list of occupations where foreign workers can be hired below standard salary thresholds.
As per the current practice, certain roles on the shortage occupation list permit foreign workers to be hired at salaries 20% below the official rate or a reduced salary cap of £20,960.
Recommendations from the government’s migration advisers propose scrapping the 20% rule, with Labour joining in to advocate for its elimination, citing its detrimental impact on fair pay and the training of UK workers.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has promised to reduce migration levels on Monday, his spokesman told newsmen that migration was too high, visibly implying that something was on the cards in this regard.
The UK government is facing pressure to absorb migrants from different countries including Afghanistan, Ukraine and even Rwanda though Home Secretary James Cleverly is going to Rwanda soon to sign a new treaty on deporting Channel boat arrivals.
