Is Britain considering bringing a new UK immigration policy?
Of course, there are more chances for the present government to bring a new UK immigration policy to control the surge of immigrants from worldwide beyond the affordable or targeted numbers.
More than a million long-term immigrants arrived after Brexit, and almost half a million in the last and current year alone!
It may continue as the UK has an acute shortage of skilled workforce, and
UK employers have no other option than looking for qualified, trained, and experienced professional and semiskilled workers from non-European nationals.
All good, but what’s worrying the UK and compelling for the new UK immigration policy?
Foreign skilled workers’ migration to the UK is not a worrying issue for the United Kingdom as it is necessary for industries and businesses and broadly supports the UK economy.
The worry is the influx of foreigners through other routes and making it a considerable number than the UK can afford to have every year, e.g.;
- Immigration under the Ukrainian refugee and settlement policy
- The particular policy made for people from Afghanistan
- Hongkong British Nationals
- Under the students visa, in general
The country cannot make changes now except with the student visa category, as all other sectors are essentially made to meet the requirements.
For the last two years, UK universities have closed accepting student applications from foreign citizens 3-4 months before the course start dates.
All the stakeholders were happy except the new students of latecomers. For them, it was so strange as universities from many other countries were looking for new international students’ applications until the last minute.
This never happened in the UK before! It didn’t occur even before Brexit!
What’s the easiest method for the government to bring the new UK immigration policy to control the ‘unwanted foreign immigrants’?
Like any other country, the UK was looking for an easy target, and they found it in international students.
So reducing the number of students coming into the country is the easiest way for them.
The UK may look for students coming in to study only in the top-ranked universities or for the most UK university-appreciated degrees!
They are seriously considering controlling family migration through education. As per the current immigration policy, master’s degree students can bring their spouses and eligible children to the UK and stay together.
India is the biggest country in the number of students migrating to the UK nowadays. Hence if a new UK immigration policy is implemented, many new aspirants from India will not make it to UK universities.
As part of the damage control, the UK has announced its intention to implement the ‘two-way exchange’ plan of accepting 3000 graduates yearly to migrate, stay, and work for at least two years in the host countries.
The UK government also hints they can even stay longer if they provide evidence of their professional progress in the UK reducing or accepting qualified professionals and experienced tradespeople.
India, with 1.4 billion people and exchange facilities for 3000 graduates every year, it may not make much sense if the UK still managed to do the damage control.
But the labour shortage and the UK employers’ collective influence may deter the government from making any significant change in reducing it or accepting it from any particular country.
India and the country’s young workforce looking for new jobs, career growth and better lives, will benefit from the UK’s requirement for qualified people to work for their industries, and for economic growth.
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