The UK cannot afford to turn away skilled migrants
Is Britain getting the workers it needs?
It would seem not. As we near the end of March, the monthly visa cap for high-skilled migrants from outside the EU has been hit for the fourth month in a row, meaning thousands of qualified doctors, software developers, and engineers are being turned away from the UK.
This is of particular concern given that, with one year to go before the UK enters transition, the number of EU migrants coming here to work has been falling. This has left businesses and organisations – including the overstretched NHS – struggling to fill vacancies: the stream of EU workers they have relied upon is not as deep as it once was, and the Home Office is preventing them hiring from further afield.
Read more: It’s time to take back control of migration – and auction visas
Of course, there is a wealth of homegrown talent here in Britain, which should be nurtured, while businesses should be encouraged to upskill and retrain their workforces. But in the immediate term, rejecting workers whose skills we desperately need is recklessly counterproductive.
The annual cap of 20,700 high-skilled visas was brought in by Theresa May when she was home secretary in a bid to tackle concern over rising immigration, but it is proving deeply damaging.
As the number of visas available decreases, the salary threshold for being granted one rises, penalising lower-paid workers like healthcare staff and developers looking to join smaller tech firms. At a time of unrelenting stories about the NHS crisis, and with the UK seeking to maintain its position as a world-leader in digital services, a skills shortage in these crucial areas is the very last thing we need.
The public understands this. While the Brexit vote is often used as justification for tightening up migration policy, both Leavers and Remainers appreciate that the urge to “take back control” cannot be allowed to put the economy at risk. The British Future survey from September 2017 found that there is widespread support across the spectrum for encouraging high-skilled immigration – 85 per of people want the numbers of this type of non-EU migrant to increase or remain the same, which includes 82 per cent of Leave voters.
The government has had its head in the sand over migration, but there can be no excuse now for ignoring the issue. Setting out a successful post-Brexit immigration regime is every bit as important as securing transition deal or striking a new trading relationship with the EU.
This needs fixing – and fast, before we turn away any more valuable workers who want to contribute to the British economy.
Read more: Report calls for radical new immigration system post-Brexit