Resident labour market test

If the many-worlds interpretation of quantum mechanics is true, there are alternate worlds in which Ed Miliband beat David Cameron in 2015 and the Brexit referendum didn’t happen. In these worlds, the core of Wednesday’s immigration white paper would be a laudable liberalisation of non-EU migration to the UK. Instead, it’s a massive blow to our economic competitiveness. It’s not all bad, and non-EU migrants will welcome the proposed reforms. The abolition of the cap on high-skilled workers is long overdue. Although there are strong economic and moral reasons to be unashamedly supportive of all immigration, British citizens benefit to a greater extent from the best and brightest. Scrapping the resident labour market test also makes sense. The need for employers to first prove that a candidate cannot be found within the resident UK market is bureaucratic and ultimately unenforceable. All it does is slow businesses down in employing who they want. And the modest … [Read more...] about The immigration white paper is a case study in self-sabotage

The government has outlined proposals for rules on immigration after the UK leaves the European Union next year, prompting a flurry of responses from business leaders across the City. Unveiled by home secretary Sajid Javid this afternoon, the document said low-skilled workers entering the UK from EU countries will no longer receive automatic approval to work in the UK, and will instead be asked to apply for short-term visas of up to a year. It will also ditch the existing cap on skilled workers coming into the country, as well as the current resident labour market test. The government will seek a consultation on installing a minimum salary requirement of £30,000 a year for skilled EU migrants on five-year visas, which already applies to non-EU workers in most cases. In areas where there is a shortage of staff, this requirement may be revised when needed. Meanwhile visitors from the EU will not need visas for entry. The plans are scheduled to be phased in from 2021. Here's what the … [Read more...] about Immigration after Brexit: Here’s how the City reacted to Sajid Javid’s white paper

As the Brexit debate rages on, the government is gearing up to confirm new immigration rules, including the end to freedom of movement for people from the EU. The warning light should be flashing for businesses, particularly in the capital. If immigration is curtailed, who will do the jobs? We are at full employment, and London is already facing labour shortages. We must therefore ensure that, once we have left the EU, we have a new streamlined immigration system that allows business to access the skills they need, while ensuring that the right controls are in place. At the top of our list of reforms, put together with input from over 200 of London’s employers, is scrapping the arbitrary net migration target to bring numbers down to below 100,000 migrants per year. The target should be replaced with a single managed system with clear routes into the UK for overseas workers of all skills levels, focusing on the people the economy needs, rather than crude numbers. The existing … [Read more...] about Scrap the migration target and open the doors to global talent