Brexit offers a chance for bold, liberalising immigration reform – but Brexit paralysis prevents the government from grasping the chance April 30, 2019 Given how much the government is struggling to actually leave the European Union it should come as no surprise that it also struggles with key areas of policy that Brexit brings to the front and centre of the stage. Immigration policy is one prominent example and an area where the government still lurches from one [...]
Visa reforms fail to align immigration system with existing legislation despite harmonisation support March 19, 2019 Recent reforms to so-called golden visas for wealthy investors have failed to align the rules with existing financial regulations, despite overwhelming support from stakeholders for harmonisation. A survey conducted by Farzin Yazdi, head of investor visas at Shard Capital found 75 per cent of respondents believed immigration rules should be aligned to the widely accepted [...]
New visa for architects as trade body calls for ‘drastic reform’ of UK immigration system post-Brexit January 10, 2019 The Home Office launched a visa scheme for exceptional architects today as the Royal Institute of British Architects (Riba) argues UK immigration legislation needs a drastic overhaul post-Brexit to safeguard the £4.8bn industry. From today architects will be able to apply for Tier 1 (exceptional talent) visas – the first bespoke immigration category available for [...]
Serco shares jump to 14-month high as government awards decade-long asylum seeker housing contracts worth billions January 8, 2019 Outsourcers Serco and Mears have been tasked with providing a decades-worth of accommodation and support for asylum seekers across the UK, in a string of billion-pound contract awards. The 10-year contracts, worth £1.9bn for Serco and £1bn for Mears, bumped both companies’ share prices up around seven per cent today. Home Office minister Baroness Susan [...]
Manufacturers face worst staff scarcity since 1989 after Brexit leads to exodus of EU workers January 3, 2019 Manufacturers are struggling with the worst drought of workers in 30 years, as fewer EU workers come into the country in the wake of the Brexit vote. Labour shortages in the sector are at their worst since 1989, according to research, with Brexit-related uncertainty partly to blame. A report by the British Chambers of Commerce today [...]
Business groups welcome call for end to high-skilled cap but concerned on lower-skilled limits September 18, 2018 Business groups today welcomed recommendations to scrap a cap on high-skilled workers in a major report commissioned by the government, but expressed serious concerns over the call for a limit on lower-skilled workers. Jane Gratton, head of business environment and skills at the British Chambers of Commerce, said: “From the perspective of businesses facing severe [...]
Taiwanese Animators take on the UK’s refugee crisis: Time for anti-migrant Brits to get English lessons September 9, 2015 They've satirised Tiger Woods. They've poked fun at the Scottish Referendum. And now those Taiwanese Animators have turned their delicate touch to the most sensitive of subjects – immigration. Specifically, the UK's migrant crisis. It starts by pointing out how "wondrous" the UK and Ireland are – great education and healthcare systems (visualised with doctors [...]
David Cameron: Britain will take up to 20,000 Syrian refugees in the next five years September 7, 2015 Britain will admit up to 20,000 Syrian refugees in the UK over the course of the next five years, David Cameron said today. The government will accept asylum seekers from refugee camps in and around Syria, granting resettled people five-year humanitarian protection visas. "Vulnerable children", especially orphans, would be the government's priority, Cameron said The [...]
EU migrant crisis: Prime Minister David Cameron announces Britain will accept “thousands” more refugees in Syria U-turn September 4, 2015 David Cameron has announced that Britain will accept "thousands" more refugees, having bowed to pressure over the humanitarian crisis in the last few days. The Prime Minister, who has been criticised on all sides for failing to act, today committed to provide resettlement for "thousands more Syrian refugees". He said Britain would act "with our [...]
EU refugee crisis: Boris Johnson says London should help as Mayor of Liverpool offers sanctuary to 100 Syrian refugees September 3, 2015 As scenes of refugees making their way from Syria across Europe become more harrowing, the Mayor of London has said the capital should face up to its "moral responsibilities". On the question of whether to take in Syrian refugees in particular, Boris Johnson said London should "take people fleeing persecution and those plainly in fear [...]