Skilled 'mobile migrants' reject UK immigration
August 06 2009 by Rebekah Nahai
Mobile migrants move to UK short term
More needs to be done to retain skilled 'short-stay' migrants in the UK, says leading think tank.
A report by the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) claims there is a “growing phenomenon” of short-stay migrants who move to the UK for a short time to work or study before moving on.
The number of immigrants who stay in the UK less than four years has doubled since 1996.
Many are ‘super mobile’ workers who are educated, highly skilled, and able to move freely between countries. The IPPR is concerned that the government has focused on long-term immigrants, who are often low-skilled, to the exclusion of skilled mobile migrants.
The report calls for incentives to retain short-stay workers and establish ties which last beyond their time spent in the UK.
The IPPR said: "As global competition for highly skilled migrants increases in future years, schemes to retain migrants may become as important as attracting them in the first place."
Recommendations for improving retention and economic benefit to the UK include simplified visa extensions, tax incentives, and dedicated ‘Migrant Information Centres’ to manage short-stay UK immigration.
The report also advises establishing continuing connections with skilled former migrants in recognition of their potential diplomatic and economic benefit to the UK.
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