New UK immigration laws to affect 25,000 Indian workers
August 24 2009 by Mark Johnstone
London: Proposed UK immigration changes
Around 25,000 Indian workers coming to the UK to work may find themselves affected by proposed changes to UK immigration law, says a report by The Economic Times.
The new measures recommended by the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) for the Tier 2 UK visa, if implemented, is set to adversely affect 50,000 overseas, non-EU workers, almost half of them from India. This is the number of migrants who will apply for a Tier 2 visa.
MAC chairman David Metcalf said: "We believe that selective immigration that favours skilled workers, as the points based system does, is vital to ensure that the UK continues to be a good place to do business or invest.
He added however: "It is important that British workers are not displaced. We have therefore made a number of recommendations which will help to avoid undercutting and any disincentives to raise the skills of UK workers."
The MAC’s recommendations include:
• All non-EU workers should have a job offer with an annual salary of at least 20,000 pounds and a worker with the relevant educational qualifications should earn at least 32,000 pounds.
• UK employers should advertise a vacant post for at least four weeks before employing an overseas worker from outside the European Union.
• A migrant with a Masters degree should be allocated 15 points instead of the current 10 points. Under current Tier 2 visa laws, a non-EU overseas worker needs at least 50 points collected under a mix of categories, such as educational qualifications, future expected earnings, English language and sponsorship.
• Non-EU migrants who move to the UK for work on a inter-company transfer should forego the right to permanent residence in the UK
The MAC, which is a key immigration strategy influencing panel, usually has its recommendations accepted by the UK’s Home Office.
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