UK Introduces Tougher Conditions for 5 Immigration V
The UK government under Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, has unveiled a comprehensive five-point plan in order to curb immigration.
Reports monitored on The Punch, says there is increasing consternation among Conservatives over the recent stoppage in the Supreme Court concerning a proposal termed the "Rwanda deportation scheme".
The Court ruled the British government’s proposal to offload asylum seekers to Rwanda as illegal. If it had scaled through, the UK would have been able to send anyone who entered the country without proper documentation o Rwanda.
The five main visa categories that will be affected by impending changes are:
Health and care visas. A measure to stop to the “abuse of the health and care visa” has been proposed, which would prohibit overseas care workers from bringing their dependents to the UK. The UK government's definatiin of a dependant is a husband or wife, a civil partner or single partner, and children under the age of eighteen.
Skilled worker visa minimum salary change: The minimum salary requirement for acquiring a skilled worker visa, currently set at £26,000, has been increased to £38,700. This is a 50% increase.
Shortage occupation list. The Shortage Occupation list is a compilation that includes jobs that the UK government believes are not easy to fill in the labour market for UK residents. These jobs have less rigid requirements for qualifying for this category of visas. However, that the new policy, eliminates the 20% minimum wage reduction offered to those applying for a visa in Shortage Occupations. Not only that, James Cleverly, the British Home Secretary, said that the list of qualifying professions would be trimmed and reviewed. The current list includes graphics designers, construction workers, vets, programmers, laboratory technicians, among others.
Family visas: To further “ensure people only bring dependants whom they can support financially,” the minimum requirement for a family visa will see an increment to £38,700, from £18,600, the rate from 2012.
Student Visas“In total, this package, plus our reduction in students dependants, will mean around 300,000 fewer people will come in future years than have come to the UK last year,” Mr Cleverly told MPs. Consequently, the government has asked that the Migration Advisory Committee to review the graduate route. So changes to the Students Visa are expected to be made soon.
