In news today, Jim Hart the CEO of export firm Europlus Direct and translation business One Global, has spoken about how the language skills of migrants from Eastern Europe and beyond can benefit Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in the UK. In an interview with Real Business, a SME website dedicated to high-growth businesses and entrepreneurs, Jim Hart suggested that basic common sense should allow people to see that skilled migrants can benefit the economy.
UK Businesses Rely on Migrants Language Abilities
It is understandable that in order to do business overseas, UK businesses should employ workers who have the ability to speak different languages. Last December, Jim Hart spoke to the Telegraph and stated his belief that British firms were missing out on overseas business because they took the view that everyone spoke English and they could always communicate successfully in this language.
He stated:
“The SMEs that aren’t taking languages seriously are dabbling in exports and they will never crack it properly unless they commit to it. If you are going to seriously target the French market, for example, you really need to have a French speaker in your offices, ideally a French native language speaker.”
Therefore, businesses trading internationally do rely on migrant worker’s language abilities, cultural knowledge and understanding of overseas markets.
Jim Hart gave Romanians as an example who are “recognised for their strong aptitude in languages among them French, Italian, Spanish and German.”
Jim Hart: International Languages Essential for UK’s Future Economic Opportunities
It seems that up to 40% of university language departments will close within a decade. The top ten languages identified as the most essential for Britain’s future economic opportunities are Spanish, Arabic, French, Mandarin Chinese, German, Portuguese, Italian, Russian, Turkish and Japanese. This has led to Jim Hart highlighting the importance of migrant workers in the UK:
“If our own resources therefore can be seen as inadequate for ambitious exporters why not take advantage of those with well-established language learning practices? If immigrants are sufficiently well-educated and qualified then they can certainly add to Britain’s ability to export and so making use of these linguistic resources would seem a very sensible option.”
UK Sponsorship Licence Solicitors & Work Visas for Foreign Workers
Obtaining a UK Sponsorship licence is far from a straightforward process involving referencing not only the immigration rules but also supplementary guidance notes. Together with this issue is ensuring that the bundle of supporting documents meets the Home Office’s stringent requirements and properly evidences the application. For this reason it is usual for a professional employer to instruct expert immigration sponsorship solicitors to manage this process.
There is currently no appeal process against any decision made by the Home Office with respect to Sponsorship Licences, so any problems against any decision made by the Home Office would involve costly and lengthy legal action for Sponsors.
It is therefore imperative that you instruct professional solicitors who specialise in obtaining sponsorship licences and will guide your business step by step through the process involved in not only obtaining a sponsorship licence but also complying with ongoing requirements vis a vis sponsorship duties.
Contact us to discuss your eligibility in obtaining a UK Sponsorship Licence and to find out more about your duties once you are a Sponsor.
If you wish to obtain a visa to work in the UK, our team of experienced and professionally qualified solicitors and barristers will be able to guide you through the process step by step and limit the possibility of failure by complying with the strict letter of the law. Please always call us for a telephone consultation even if you wish to consider other advisers.