LETTER FROM U.K.

New U.K. Restrictions on Indian Professionals 

Amidst rising unemployment, effective April 1, Britain is putting in place new immigration restrictions on professionals from India and other non-EU countries so that existing jobs are first offered to local workers.

Home secretary Jacqui Smith made the announcement on February 22.

From April, the basic requirements to enter Britain under the Tier 1 category of the points-based immigration system will be raised. Over 25,000 people, including many from India, entered Britain under Tier 1 last year.

The qualification and minimum salary levels for Indian and non-EU professionals will be raised to masters degree and 20,000 pounds from the current requirement of undergraduate degree and 17,000 pounds. 

A forum representing Indian and other non-European Union professionals strongly criticised the new visa restrictions proposed from April to ensure that existing jobs in Britain were first offered to local workers in London.

Terming the changes announced by Home secretary Jacqui Smith as a 'knee-jerk reaction', the Highly Skilled Migrants Programme (HSMP) Forum alleged that the new curbs showed that the Labour Government was 'out of touch' with realities.

The new restrictions are likely to halve the number of Indian and other non-EU professionals entering Britain every year, according to Smith.

Jacqui Smith pledged to use the flexibility built into the points-based system (PBS) to respond to changing economic circumstances - helping British workers through the hard times of the recession.

The Government has already suspended tier 3 of the PBS to ensure no foreign national from outside the European Economic Area (EEA) can come to the United Kingdom and work in a low-skilled job.

Jacqui Smith announced three significant changes to support British workers and to be more selective about the migrants coming to the United Kingdom from outside the EEA. From 1 April the Government will:

- strengthen the resident labour market test for tier 2 skilled jobs so that employers must advertise jobs to resident workers through JobCentre Plus before they can bring in a worker from outside Europe;

- use each shortage occupation list to trigger skills reviews that focus on up-skilling resident workers for these occupations, which will make the United Kingdom less dependent on migration for the future; and

- tighten new criteria against which highly skilled migrants seeking entry to the United Kingdom are judged, by raising the qualifications and salary required for tier 1 (General) of the PBS to a Master's degree and a minimum salary of £20,000.

The Home Secretary has also asked the independent Migration Advisory Committee (MAC),  chaired by Professor David Metcalf, to report on:

- whether there is an economic case for restricting tier 2 (skilled workers) to shortage occupations only;

- his assessment of the economic contribution made by the dependants of PBS migrants and their role in the labour market; and

- what further changes there should be to the criteria for tier 1 in 2010/11, given the changing economic circumstances.

Jacqui Smith said:

"All workers now coming to the UK from outside Europe have to meet the requirements of the Australian-style points system, which allows us to raise or lower the bar on who can come here.

"We have always said it is important to be selective about who comes here to work, and we have already put a stop to low-skilled labour entering the UK from outside Europe.

"Just as in a growth period we needed migrants to support growth, it is right in a downturn to be more selective about the skill levels of those migrants, and to do more to put British workers first.

"These measures are not about narrow protectionism - a flexible immigration system, rather than an arbitrary cap, is better for British business and the British economy. We recognise that migration continues to play an important role in the UK, at the same time as we are giving greater support to domestic workers so that we can all come through the recession stronger.

"Given the economic circumstances and the action we are taking to be more selective, I expect the number of migrants coming to the UK from outside the EEA to fall during the next financial year. Today I am also asking the independent Migration Advisory Committee, led by David Metcalf, to consider further changes to the way in which foreign workers are currently able to enter the UK to work.

"By being more selective, as well as through tough enforcement measures to tackle illegal immigration, I have tasked the UK Border Agency with delivering this reduction. I have also set out 10 further immigration milestones for the UK Border Agency to meet this year."