News
| UK Immigration imposes temporary limits, adding points and quotas in anticipation of April 2011 cap |
| 28 June, 2010 - The UK government announced today that it is imposing temporary limits on non-EU immigration, effective immediately, to avoid a rush on applications ahead of the permanent new rules due to take effect in April 2011. The cap will apply only to highly skilled migrants and skilled workers in certain categories of job. It does not apply to workers from EU countries, who make up a third of all foreign-born workers in the country. The Home Secretary, Theresa May, says she is determined to introduce the long debated cap because she wants net annual immigration into the UK to fall to the levels seen in the mid 1990s, "to tens of thousands rather than hundreds of thousands." Supporters say that the new coalition government's immigration policy will not be economically damaging to the UK. However, worries about the proposed new legislation have been voiced by British business and industry, with London Mayor Boris Johnson expressing concerns that the cap would affect the City dramatically. "A crude cap could be very detrimental to the free movement of the talented, creative and enterprising people who have enabled London to be such a dominant global force," a spokesperson for the Mayor said. How this may impact immigrants from the U.S. With today’s announcement, the threshold for gaining entry as a highly-skilled migrant has been increased by five points to ensure only the "brightest and the best" non-EU migrants are admitted to the UK.* Quotas have also been introduced. Among industries likely to be most affected are technology, finance and engineering, which rely heavily on overseas recruitment. The changes will come into effect on July 19, 2010, and all applications submitted after that date will be affected by these changes, whether made in country or out of country. We therefore urge you to apply for any applicable Tier 1 and 2 Migrant work permits before the July 19 deadline. The only exception to this is for migrants who currently have leave to remain in the UK as a Tier 1 (General) migrant, a Highly Skilled Migrant, a Writer, Composer, or Artist or as a Self Employed Lawyer and where renewals of such permits are required after July 19, 2010. Initially, the limits being imposed will only affect those applying from overseas. Basically, the Tier 1 (General) route will have a grant allocation or limit, and any application made overseas will still have to meet the attributes, maintenance and English language requirement. These applicants will also be refused if the limit for that particular scheme has been exceeded. In that event, the applicant will be considered during the next relevant grant allocation period. Please note that these requirements and limits are very new, and it is unclear how they will work in reality. We will keep you apprised as more information becomes available, particularly regarding grant allocation periods. *All Tier 1 work permit applicants need to complete an attributes section in which they are “scored” in categories such as age, previous earnings, qualifications, UK experience etc. After July 19th, 80, rather than 75, is the required point threshold. Other changes include those regarding earnings and other qualifications: earnings in excess of £150,000 will now gain 80 points rather than 75, and those applying under the MBA provision will also gain 80 points for an acceptable qualification rather than the current 75. |
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