The Home Office have announced that new measures were unveiled in the Immigration White Paper ‘Restoring Control over the Immigration System’ to reshape their immigration system towards those who contribute the most to economic growth, with higher skills standards for graduates and workers.
New requirements on employers to boost domestic training will end the reliance on international recruitment.
Every area of the immigration system – work, family, and study – will be tightened up, to reduce record-high levels of net migration and restore control and order to the immigration system.
Core principles of the plan include:
- Reduce net migration: Ensure migration levels are controlled and manageable.
- Link to UK skills needs: Align immigration with domestic training and skills requirements, avoiding over-reliance on foreign workers.
- Fair and clear rules: Make the system transparent and effective, with Parliament-defined rules, especially around family life.
- Enforce the rules: Strengthen enforcement, including tackling illegal work and deporting foreign criminals.
- Promote integration: Support community cohesion through English language requirements and assessing migrants’ contributions.
FIS Chief Executive Iain McIlwee commented: “It remains a concern that there is insufficient differentiation between the types of immigration.
“For me, it remains disappointing that the political need to drive down the headline numbers continue to overshadow the practical economic need to consider the merits of migration to key parts of the economy by considering the skills shortages that could well constrain growth.
“We have over the past 50 years, we have become increasingly reliant on immigration. While it’s encouraging to see renewed investment in the skills landscape, we are still not yet the beneficiaries of this investment. No one is arguing against investing in domestic training and modular construction, but that may not be enough in the short to medium term.”
Further information regarding the Immigration White Paper announcement can be found by visiting: Prime Minister’s remarks and Gov.uk news story
