Jobs and Immigration – A New System
The Home Office has said British employers will soon have to prove that there are no British workers available before they fill a vacancy with an immigrant worker from outside Europe. The extreme measures are the second stage in the new points-based immigration system under which only those immigrants with the valuable skills that Britain economy is in need of will be given permission to work in the UK.
Under the new guidelines, workers entering the country from outside the European Economic Area (EEA) will have to accrue a required number of points and show evidence of a job offer before they can enter Britain.
UK Immigration Minister, Liam Byrne said that the new system would give British job-seekers the first option on available jobs and that only the skilled immigrants the country needed would be granted access to the UK. Byrne said that the system would be flexible and the number of points needed in certain professions could move up or down according to the needs of business and the country as a whole.
The first stage of the system was implemented in February and applies to highly skilled workers residing in the country and who wish to extend their stay. The second stage will focus on skilled workers and on identifying gaps in the labour market.
A similar system covering temporary workers, young people and students will be rolled out later in 2008. Points will be awarded according to the applicant’s qualifications, salary prospects and age. Byrne emphasized they new guidelines would not affect the movement of people from the EEA but would create a much tighter regime for non-EU immigrants.
The Home Office said objective of the new system was to manage migration in the national interest, adding that the right balance had to be struck between safeguarding the interests of the British workforce and enabling UK employers to recruit or transfer skilled people from abroad.
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