UK Immigration News

The UK government has announced that it will remove 8 occupations from Shortage Occupation List (SOL). If an occupation is on the shortage occupation list it is easier for an employer to employ a migrant under Tier 2 of the UK's points based immigration system.

On 30 April 2011, the transitional Worker Registration Scheme (WRS) for workers from the eight countries that joined the EU in 2004 will end. Currently, workers from these countries must register under the scheme to work in the UK.

The 'A8' countries are as follows:

The Migration Advisory Committee set up by the previous UK Government in 2007 to advise on immigration issues has recommended that eight job titles be removed from the Shortage Occupation List (SOL). This is relevant for applications under the Tier 2 visa for Skilled Workers, the UK's employer-sponsored immigration visa.

Certain scientists and people earning over £150,000 will be exempt from the UK's immigration cap that will take effect in April 2011.

The exemption for scientists follows lobbying from the UK research industry; They felt that a cap on scientists would hurt UK Universities and British scientific research.

A new study by a recruiting firm has come to the conclusion that the UK's immigration cap will harm businesses and create further labour shortages.

Specialist recruiting firm Poolia surveyed a number of businesses expected to be affected by the UK Government's permanent immigration cap that starts in April 2011. The findings would suggest that the cap will be bad for UK business, increasing costs and leading to more gaps in the labour market.

A new survey by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) finds that many employers in the UK public sector are having a difficult time filling job openings due to more stringent immigration rules.

The study found that one in six employers -- a good proportion of which are in the National Health Service -- say that they have not been able to recruit workers from overseas due to the recent cap on immigration.

Immigration changes from 6 April 2011 include the following: