From next year, skilled migrant workers will only be eligible for Indefinite Leave to Remain if they earn a salary of at least £35,000 per annum. UK Home Secretary previously announced this back in 2012 and wants to move forward with this immigration rule in order to cut immigration statistics in the UK. The Royal College of Nursing recently voiced their opinions on the damaging effect it will have on the UK’s National Health Service.
Immigration Rules will Stop Nurses Coming to UK
It should be noted that most nurses in the UK earn salaries that are relatively less than £35,000. Theresa May’s plans to implement the £35,000 salary threshold in 2016 for skilled migrants who want to settle in the UK will affect the NHS’s recruitment of nurses. According to the Royal College of Nursing, the NHS in Wales in particular will suffer from the new immigration rules.
Shadow Home Secretary Yvette Cooper agrees with the new salary cap which is aiming to cut immigration statistics in the UK. According to Cooper skilled migrant workers should only be able to settle in the UK if they can pay their way and contribute value of the UK. However, not everyone agrees, Tina Donnelly the director of the Royal College of Nursing in Wales has opposed both Cooper’s and May’s plans:
“Currently there is an estimated shortfall of 3,000 nurses across Wales, 1,000 of them in the NHS and the rest in the private and voluntary sectors. Very few nurses have salaries of £35,000, and this rule will stop nurses we need coming to work here.”
Who is Benefiting from Restricting Migrants?
Part of working in immigration is keeping up with the immigration rules and who will be affected by the impending changes. We have written many articles concerning the NHS and their reliance on skilled migrant workers. For instance, back in December 2014 we reported that the NHS would be ‘in dire strait’ without skilled migrant workers, with an estimated 35% of workers in the NHS being migrants. Furthermore, NHS employs staff from more than 200 different countries, including Azerbaijan, Zambia, Indonesia, Poland, and American Samoa, according to official figures. Which has led to experts forming the opinion that the NHS would be ‘short-staffed’ without migrants.
So when the UK Government insist on doing everything in their power to restrict migrants from coming and settling in the UK (in this case skilled migrant workers) it becomes confusing the reasons behind their plans. One would assume before implementing new immigration rules they would go to all sources, like the NHS or other industries to see how they will be affected by the salary threshold. If the NHS are short staffed surely the UK public will suffer, the UK economy will suffer……so who is benefiting?
Until the new salary threshold is implemented in 2016 it is hard to predict what will happen to the immigration statistics for migrants settling in the UK. For now immigration in the UK continues to be a constant debate between the UK Government, industries and the UK public. It also continues to be seen who is actually thinking of the UK when they argue for and against migration in the UK.
Successful UK Tier 2 Visa Applications
Our team of experienced and professionally qualified immigration solicitors and barristers will be able to guide you through the process of making a Tier 2 General migrant visa application step by step and limit the possibility of failure by complying with the strict letter of law.
We also undertake a great deal of appeal work before the Immigration and Asylum Tribunal and have a successful track record of successful results for our clients. We have the experience and the knowledge required to take your case forward successfully. If you have had a Tier 2 General visa refused, contact us to discuss your case so that we can provide you with a case assessment.
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