UK's ruling party proposes visa caps as election pledge

LONDON - In another dramatic move, the UK's ruling Conservative Party has announced a new general election pledge to cut immigration by creating an annual cap on visas.

In a new policy announced recently, the conservatives or the Tories vowed to limit the number of UK visas issued yearly. The visa caps were long demanded by Tory hardliners including the former home secretary Suella Braverman but this is the first time that it has been officially confirmed.

British Premier, Rishi Sunak claimed on Monday night that his party was the only party that is willing to take the bold action needed to cut immigration figures. 

According to the plans, the government would ask its Migration Advisory Committee (Mac) to provide a recommendation for the level of the annual visa cap. Ministers would then discuss the recommendations before putting the proposals to parliament for a vote.

Although the final decision would be made in months to come, the initial details imply that the proposed cap would be imposed on the number of visas that can be granted to those coming to the UK on work or family routes; Temporary work routes, such as seasonal agricultural workers, would be exempted from the cap. 

The government of the UK, under the watch of Rishi Sunak, has introduced radical measures to reduce migration. Last month, Home Secretary James Cleverly tasked Mac with investigating the UK’s graduate visa scheme in response to calls to scrap the route; the committee found no “significant abuse” and recommended keeping the scheme in place.

As part of the measures to discourage migration, the government has also banned international students from bringing dependents besides increasing the salary threshold for Skilled Worker Visas.