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Embargoed until 00:01 4 December 2009 - Meeting the needs of the UK economy through selective high-skilled immigration
The first review
by the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) of the highly skilled
migration routes (Tier 1) of the Government’s Points Based System
for managed migration recommends that the routes should be maintained.
In the best interests of the UK economy and labour market, the
MAC has produced a package of recommendations on key areas of Tier
1.
These recommendations aim to maintain well designed
immigration routes to attract the “brightest and best” to come to
the UK to work in the top 10 per cent of graduate jobs. In
particular, the MAC recommends that:
* people with an
undergraduate degree as their highest qualification should be
allowed in under Tier 1 General route, subject to high previous
earnings;
* the points available under the Tier 1 General
route are updated to ensure that only the most highly skilled
immigrants are admitted through this route; and
* the
initial leave to remain entitlement under the Tier 1 General route
is reduced from three to two years, with a three year extension
subject to evidence that the individual is in highly skilled
employment.
Chair of the Migration Advisory Committee,
Professor David Metcalf, said:
“The highly skilled route
of the Points Based System is very important to the UK economy.
Therefore, it should be maintained and improved in order to ensure
that the UK continues to attract the brightest and best.
"We are clear that Tier 1 migrants must not displace
or undercut UK workers. Immigration should not serve as a
disincentive to employers to invest in training to improve the
skills of workers in Britain.
"The
recommendations that we have made will ensure that the system is
robust enough to deal with the changing global economy and that
the UK remains attractive for foreign investment."
The Government’s objective for Tier 1 is to attract and
retain people who will increase the skills and knowledge of the UK
workforce, while maintaining the flexibility of the UK labour
market.
In order to meet this objective, the MAC
recommends that all four routes of Tier 1 (General, Post-Study
Work, Entrepreneur and Investor) are retained.
In
addition, for the Tier 1 General route, the MAC recommends
that:
* the Government rapidly and thoroughly reviews
the salary multipliers used to convert prior earnings from outside
the UK into a UK equivalent; and
* UK Border Agency
considers the operational feasibility of an employer acting as a
guarantor for an individual’s maintenance requirement within the
Tier 1 General route.
For the Post-Study Work Route
(PSWR), the MAC recommends the following:
* the
Government carries out research into the economic returns to
studying at particular educational institutions and for particular
degree subjects in the UK in order to review access to the
Post-Study Work Route for foreign graduates; and
* the
grant of leave under this Route remains at its current level of
two years.
For the Entrepreneur Route the MAC
recommends the following:
* the UK Border Agency
dedicates sufficient resources to examination of whether jobs
created by individuals represent a genuine net increase in jobs.
It is for the Government to decide whether and when to
accept these recommendations, as well as the timescales for
implementation.
Notes to editors:
For an
on-line copy of the report, please following the below web address:
www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/mac
Click here for biogs of the MAC chair and members:
www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/mac
For further details on Tier 1 please follow the below
web address:
http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/workingintheuk/tier1
Contacts:
Home Office Press Office
Phone: 020 7035 3535
NDS.HO@coi.gsi.gov.uk
