Update Oct 2011

The Home Office has commissioned the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) to place a call for evidence on the review of the Tier 2 limit of the points based migration system, closing on 21 December 2011.  The call for evidence can be viewed at the following link.
 
http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/sitecontent/documents/aboutus/workingwithus/mac/mac-evidence-document
 
The commissioned call for evidence is as follows:

• The Government will deliver an improved migration system that commands public confidence and serves our economic interests. It will be more efficient and less open to abuse and will reduce the number of non-EU migrants. The Government is developing policies to meet this objective. As a result of these policies the Government anticipates that net migration will be in the tens of thousands in future. In this context, at what level should the limit on Tier 2 (General) be set for 2012, taking account of the economic, labour market, social and public service impacts of the limit; and of the uptake of Tier 2 (General) and intra-company transferee visas in 2011/12
• Is the £40,000 minimum salary threshold for intra-company transfers seeking to stay for 12 months or longer an appropriate proxy test to ensure that migrants meet the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) definition of senior Managers and Specialists? The MAC is asked to provide economic rather than legal advice when considering the compatibility of the definition. Should the £40,000 be a national rate or allow for regional variations in pay? Current policy allows the £40,000 threshold to be met through a combination of salary and allowances. Does the inclusion of non-salary remuneration undermine the use of the £40,000 threshold as a proxy test of skill level?
• In order to allow the Government to identify an appropriate skill level for Tier 2 can the MAC confirm the list of occupations in Table B1 of its February 2011 report on the list of skilled occupations in Tier 2, i.e. those occupations skilled to National Qualification Framework level 4 and above (NQF4+) but not to National Qualification Framework level 6 and above (NQF6+), undertake a review of the non-NQF6+ job titles currently on the shortage list and estimate the impact on numbers of migrants in Tier 2 if the skills bar were raised to NQF6+?
• Currently jobs paid more than £150,000 are exempt from the Resident Labour Market Test (RLMT) requirement in recognition of the fact that, at that level, there will be little threat of disturbance to the resident labour market and such jobs are likely to be more global in character. If that threshold were lowered to a range of £70,000-£100,000, what would be the impact on demand for Tier 2 visas, the resident labour force and employers?

Responding to this call for evidence

Responses to this call for evidence can be sent direct to the MAC - contact details and questions can be found in the link above.

The closing date for this call for evidence is 21 December 2011

Background: Impact on UK Electronics

The UK Electronics Alliance* conducted a brief survey during Q2, 2011 to gauge opinions from managers and recruiters in the UK electronics sector on the recruitment of technical staff and the recent immigration cap; the results have now been published and are as follows:

 

The UK Electronics Alliance suggests that the Immigration Cap is harming recruitment at companies in the UK, increasing un-filled vacancies and resulting in jobs being located overseas. 

UKEA calls on Government to take the following actions:

• To review the list of technical occupations in advanced manufacturing on the Tier 2 list to identify where the immigration cap is causing genuine recruitment problems
• To review immigration cap quotas on a regular basis to ensure that the availability of overseas talent for those jobs is reduced in line with the increase in the supply of comparably qualified home grown talent
• To coordinate this approach with a review of and an improvement in the consultation process between advanced manufacturing and education policy makers
• To provide clearer information and guidance on the application process, especially to SMEs
• To introduce provisions for SMEs who do not benefit from the inter-company transfer rule.

As a result, a letter highlighting policy concerns and the survey results has been sent to the following MP's:

• Rt Hon Teresa May
• Rt Hon David Willets
• Rt Hon, Mark Prisk
  

The full report and letter to Teresa May can be downloaded here:

Letter to Teresa May

Recruitment in the electronics sector and the immigration cap report July 2011

*NMI is a founder member of the UK Electronics Alliance (UKEA) which represents the main Trade Associations across the electronics industry.