Pooja Mahabadi, Pune
The UK government on Monday proposed a raft of stricter Visa rules to minimize the country’s immigration numbers. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak called it a “Radical Action” that would ensure that any migration into the country would only benefit the country. The new rules include a higher salary edge for international workers to access the skilled visas which impede the entrance of their dependents.
The collective impact of these measures also lessens the number of student dependents, leading to an estimated 300,000 fewer people entering the UK. This Five-Point plan, effective from the first half of 2024 was cleverly introduced after his recent appointment with the Home Office.
Taking to X, he wrote, “Immigration is too high. Today we are taking radical action to bring it down.” He emphasized that these steps will ensure that immigration further benefits the UK.
In a parallel post, Sunak also stated, “We’ve just announced the biggest ever cut in net migration. No Prime Minister has done this before in history. But the level of net migration is too high and it has to change. I am determined to do it.”
Sunak has also been under considerable pressure from Conservative Members of Parliament to devise a strategy addressing the rising immigration numbers. This came after the Office for National Statistics reported that an estimated 672,000 more individuals migrated to the UK than left in the year ending June. Party strategists view immigration, along with the government’s inability to decrease the overall figures, as a crucial electoral issue.
The UK government strongly believes that these radical changes will effectively lessen immigration further benefiting the nation.
Here are the key measures unveiled by the Sunak led government paving way for robust economic resurgence:
- Dependant Restriction: The government aims to curtail the influx of a large number of dependents into the UK, this also includes the student dependant restrictions, these changes were mostly channelized due to the recent 153,000 visas granted to dependants of sponsored students in 2023.
- Health and Care Visa Tightening: Overseas care workers will see restrictions and will no longer be allowed to bring dependants.
- Intensified action against low-cost labour: The government plans to remove the 20% salary reduction for jobs facing a shortage and will establish an Immigration Salary List. This list will be regularly reviewed by the Migration Advisory Committee to match the rising salary requirements.