UK Immigration Silliness

It would appear that the UK Government, in an effort to be seen to be Doing Something About Goddamn Furriners, is restricting Tier 2 non EU skilled people (ie non PhD/MSc/Famous people), mainly because it can't restrict unskilled EU immigration nor the whole asylum seeking industry from entering the country. Anyway, Davidson Morris, a group of solicitors wot I know, are trying to get a campaign together to prevent this*, and I thought I would blog it as it defintely impacts the ICT industry in the UK.

They note:

What’s happening?

We are bringing a legal action against the government against the current cap on immigration.

Lots of articles are in the press but unless a legal challenge is made, the cap will become permanent, and the problem is this coalition immigration cap ‘could threaten recovery’

Why we object

We believe that the introduction of this cap is totally unlawful and yet another example of the UK Border Agency acting without regard to the law in order to satisfy a political imperative.

Immigration is and always will be a political hot potato with each party trying to outdo each other on how tough they will be on illegal immigrants and controlling the number of migrants entering the UK.

However, the government cannot control the numbers of EU nationals entering the UK, nor the dependents of people already here, and the asylum seeker industry is well funded and represented – so the only way they can satisfy the tabloid press is by capping the number of less noticeable non EU people coming to the UK, people who don’t happen to have say a PhD or MSc, or chums they knew at Oxbridge with access to the media.

Who does it effect

Applicants who fall under the Tier 2 (General) immigration rules. In plain English, this means:

- graduates who have completed their degrees in the UK (paying extortionate overseas student rates by the way) who wish to get their foot on the ladder, and prior to the cap could apply for a job and if they demonstrated that they were the best candidate would be eligible to apply for a visa
- skilled migrants applying from abroad whose skills are desperately needed in the UK
- migrants who having secured a visa can no longer automatically apply for an extension as their employer no longer has the ability to sponsor them due to the cap

The NHS is crying out for skilled labour that it cannot source here. The IT, Catering, Shipping, Construction and Oil & Gas industries are being badly affected and artists and performers can no longer obtain a visa to perform in the UK

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My understanding is these people can only be offerd jobs if no Brit exists, and salaries must match British ones so its not as if its a cheap labour scam (though I'm sure they do come in at some discount initially) but I like this campaign just 'cos the Daily Mail doesn't

They are looking for companies to register thjeir objections, preferably with case studies or examples, and (ideally) donate some readies to fight it in court - so if you think it impacts you go to their page and sign up over here

* yes, it is their field, so no doubt they hope to do well by doing good