Date:07/05/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/05/07/stories/2008050755911700.htm

International

Tougher immigration laws in England

Hasan Suroor

Only well-heeled workers with skills to be allowed

LONDON: Foreign workers not belonging to the European Union (E.U.) and wishing to migrate to Britain must show that they already earn the equivalent of more than £24,000 a year in their own country and have skills that Britain needs in order to qualify for a job permit, the government announced on Tuesday as the second phase of its contentious points-based system came into force.

The move is aimed at restricting entry of non-E.U. foreign workers as part of what the government described as the “biggest shake-up” of Britain’s immigration rules in 45 years. Immigration Minister Liam Byrne said: “Our new points system means that British jobseekers get the first crack of the whip and that only the skilled migrants we actually need will be able to come.”

He said the aim was to make sure that the numbers of foreign workers, allowed to come in to the U.K. were “in line with the needs of business and the country as a whole.” While the first phase — introduced on February 29 — affected highly-skilled people such as IT professionals, financial experts and entrepreneurs, Tuesday’s announcement would apply to skilled workers including chefs, builders and plumbers etc.

Under the new rules, dubbed Britain’s version of the sons-of-the-soil policy, British companies will have to prove they cannot fill skilled posts with a resident worker. The Home Office said employers must also show that the job vacancy was advertised in the UK and no suitable candidate was found locally. Would-be migrants would need a job offer before applying for a visa, unless the job was on the “shortage occupation” list.

“To qualify, skilled foreign nationals will have to earn a certain number of points before being allowed to work in Britain. These points are awarded only if a person can prove they will be doing skilled work, speak a good standard of English, and are earning more than £24,000, or have a decent qualification. Employers will need a licence from the UK Border Agency to offer job,” it said.

The new rules are seen as a blow to workers from the Indian subcontinent who come here to take jobs, mostly in the catering industry. Recently, owners of Indian restaurants held a protest in London arguing that restrictions on bringing chefs from the subcontinent would hurt their business.