New measures set out to reduce net migration
On 24 September 2024, the Home Office announced new measures to reduce historically high levels of net migration to the UK.
The measures aim to reinforce the Home Secretary’s approach to tackle the root causes behind the UK’s long-term reliance on international recruitment. Sectors most reliant on overseas workers will be targeted to ensure they are investing in skills in the UK.
Summary of the new measures
The government will task the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) with monitoring and proactively highlighting key sectors where skills shortages have led to surges in overseas recruitment and provide a yearly assessment to ministers to inform policy decision making.
Rules around visa sponsorship of migrant workers will also be strengthened to ensure strong action can be taken against employers who flout employment laws, including restricting their ability to hire workers from overseas.
These measures build upon work already underway to improve compliance of existing sponsor licence holders and clamp down on visa abuse. Steps already taken by the Home Office include ramping up compliance investigation visits for employers, and suspending or revoking sponsor licences where employers are found to be abusing the immigration system and exploiting migrant workers.
Next steps
The measures announced last week follow plans already set out by the Home Secretary to link migration policy with skills and wider labour market policy, to ensure international recruitment is no longer the default choice for employers looking to fill skills shortages.
As announced in July, a new joined-up approach across government establishes a framework in which the newly formed Skills England, the Industrial Strategy Council and the Department for Work and Pensions will work closely with the MAC so that migration is not used as an alternative to tackling training or skills shortages in the UK.
The government has also confirmed that changes to the immigration system made by the previous administration will remain in place.
Going forward, the MAC’s annual assessment will help industries respond swiftly to skills gaps and take necessary steps to reduce their dependency on migrant workers and invest instead in training, workforce plans, and higher quality jobs for domestic workers.
As part of its expanded role, the MAC will also work to assess the root causes of why certain sectors are overly reliant on overseas workers. The Home Secretary has already commissioned the MAC to carry out a review of the IT and engineering sectors – key sectors which have consistently relied on the international workforce rather than sourcing the workers and skills they need in the UK. The MAC is expected to publish its report in the spring next year.
Sponsorship and compliance support for employers
The latest announcement once again highlights the Home Office’s increasing focus on employer compliance and tackling abuse of the visa system. Employers sponsoring migrant workers should be aware of the steps being taken to clamp down on non-compliance and prepare accordingly.
If you require support with preparing your business for a Home Office compliance visit, Smith Stone Watlers can help. Our bespoke mock audit service will identify any gaps in your organisation’s immigration compliance and provide you with a full report on how to address these ahead of any formal UKVI audit. To find out more about our services, please contact us today.
