New points-based immigration system slated by Trade Unions and Recruitment Trade Body

Following the publication of further details on the new points-based immigration system, Trade Unions and Recruiters have been highly critical of the new system, which has failed to make provisions for the hospitality industry and care workers, two sectors which rely heavily on overseas talent, and has not set out provisions for highly skilled independent professionals, such as software developers and construction experts.

The Association of Professional Staffing Companies (APSCo) expressed their disappointment at the lack of detail around the immigration process for highly skilled independent professionals.

Commenting on the published document, Tania Bowers, Legal Counsel and Head of Public Policy said:

“It is no secret that there are skills shortages across many high skilled sectors such as engineering, technology, construction and life sciences. Consequently, we need to have an immigration system that recognises that the UK’s ability to attract world class brands to set up business here and to negotiate advantageous trade deals after Brexit transition. This pivots on access to skills and a flexible workforce.”

“The Tier 1 Global Talent visa is extremely limited in scope and while the document makes reference to a broader unsponsored route within the points based system which will allow a smaller number of the most highly skilled workers to come to the UK without a job offer, the Home Office has made clear that this will not open from January 1 2021.”

“Without this points based scheme for the highly skilled, some of the Government’s most important infrastructure plans will be effectively scuppered post Brexit transition as neither recruitment firms nor umbrella companies can be sponsoring organisations.”

“We have asked to be part of the stakeholder group which will be consulted on this visa over the coming year and will be pushing hard to ensure that it allows a route for highly skilled independent professionals.”

Meanwhile, there is growing criticism that the new points system has failed to include provisions for overseas care workers, who will not receive special visa dispensation, unlike graduates, scientists, NHS staff and agricultural workers.  Highlighted by the recent pandemic, the sector is vital and the GMB have warned of ‘almost a 500,000-person black hole’ after their analysis of official figures revealed that more than 350,000 adult care workers were born outside the UK in the year to September 2019 – a figure that has risen by 43% in the past decade.

Rachel Harrison, GMB’s national officer, said: “For the likes of the home secretary to brand the care workers our whole society relies on as ‘low-skilled’ is a bit rich and has caused stress and anxiety for people who do an outstanding job day in, day out.”

Prof Martin Green, the chief executive of Care England, which represents the largest private providers, said the decision, amid a pandemic in which 20,000 people have died in UK care homes, “has the potential to destabilise the sector even further with potentially disastrous consequences”.

Christina McAnea, Unison assistant general secretary,added:

“​Social care was in crisis long before the pandemic. Refusing to include care workers in the ​new NHS visa is a disastrous mistake that will make ​existing problems spiral.

“The sector is desperately short of staff and​ heavily reliant on the skills of overseas workers. Recruitment will​ now become even harder.”