UK makes visa difficult to limit immigration

On Monday (4 December 2023), the UK government announced tougher measures to contain the entry of migrants into the country. This announcement came in light of the record number of immigration recorded on British soil. here Official announcement With major changes (PDF – 243 KB).

The government’s initiative came in response to pressure from the Conservative Party led by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. Unions and sectors affected by labor shortages evaluate this measure as counterproductive.

Home Affairs Minister James Cleverley said the government hopes to reduce the total number of visas from about 1.3 million in the period from October 2022 to September this year to 300,000 during the coming period. To this end, he highlighted the following measures:

• Foreign caregivers will be banned from immigrating with dependents and healthcare companies will begin sponsoring visas;
• The minimum income required to obtain a visa will be increased by ⅓to £38,700 per year (about R$242,000 at current rates);
• The federal program eliminating the payroll deduction for professions with a 20% shortage will be eliminated and the list of professions with a shortage of professionals will be revised;
• The minimum income for family visas will be doubled to £38,700 – the same as the minimum wage for skilled workers;
• There will be changes to the rules around students bringing family members to the UK.

“It is clear that the balance of migration is still very high. By leaving the EU, we gain control over who can come to the UK, but there is much more we need to do to reduce these numbers so that British workers are not disadvantaged and our public services are under less pressure.said Cleverly during the announcement.

Data

The number of foreign nationals applying for a visa to live in the UK has been increasing over the years. This was one of the factors that strengthened popular support for the referendum that decided the country’s exit from the European Union (EU) in 2016.

According to the Latest data Issued by the British Government (here Full report – PDF – 222 KB), in the period from October 2022 to September of this year, the following were granted:

• 585,774 work visa (a 54% increase compared to the previous year), most of which were for healthcare professionals and carers (143,990 visas, double the same period of the previous year);
• 643,778 Student visa (+8%);
• 82,395 family visa (+117%).

One change observed since the country’s exit from the European Union is that the majority of immigrants are now no longer of European origin, but from countries such as India, Nigeria and China.