UK aims to scrap 'failed free market approach' to immigration by tightening skilled worker visa rules

LONDON, May 11 — The British government today unveiled plans to overhaul its immigration policy, aiming to end what it described as the “failed free market experiment” by tightening skilled worker visa rules and requiring businesses to invest more in training local talent.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer is facing mounting pressure to bring down net migration, especially after Nigel Farage’s right-wing Reform UK party, which campaigns against mass immigration, performed strongly in this month’s local elections.

Under the proposed reforms, skilled visas will be limited to graduate-level jobs. Visas for lower-skilled positions will only be granted in sectors deemed vital to the UK’s industrial strategy. In exchange, employers will be expected to ramp up training for British workers.

These changes will be outlined in a white paper set for release tomorrow, detailing how the Labour government intends to reduce immigration.

High levels of legal migration were a key factor in the 2016 Brexit vote, as many Britons were concerned about the unrestricted movement of workers within the EU.

After formally leaving the EU in 2020, the Conservative government expanded the scope of skilled worker visas to include roles like yoga instructors, dog walkers, and DJs.

“We inherited a broken immigration system, where free movement was replaced by a free market approach,” said Interior Minister Yvette Cooper. “We are now taking firm steps to bring back control and order.”

Although post-Brexit policies reduced the number of EU nationals coming to Britain, overall immigration surged due to new work visa categories and special visa routes for people from Ukraine and Hong Kong.

Net migration hit a record high of 906,000 in the year to June 2023 — a sharp increase from the 184,000 recorded in 2019, before the UK’s departure from the EU. — Reuters