On 19 February, Home Secretary Priti Patel launched a new points-based immigration system which will open up the UK to the brightest and the best from around the world.

The new system will take effect from 1 January 2021. It will end free movement and allow the UK to reassert control of its borders. It will assign points for specific skills, qualifications, salaries or professions and visas will only be awarded to those who gain enough points.

A new immigration system in the UK was initially thought to resemble an Australian points-based system, but the UK’s government listened to the clear message from the 2016 referendum and the 2019 General Election and decided to end the reliance on cheap, low-skilled labour coming into the country altogether.

The new single global system will treat EU and non-EU citizens equally. It will give top priority to those with the highest skills and the greatest talents, including scientists, engineers and academics. The global talent scheme will also be opened up to EU citizens which will allow highly-skilled scientists and researchers to come to the UK without a job offer.

In line with the government’s manifesto commitment, there will be no specific route for low-skilled workers. “We will attract the brightest and the best from around the globe, boosting the economy and our communities, and unleash this country’s full potential,” Home Secretary Priti Patel said in a statement.

Under the new immigration system, skilled workers will need to meet a number of relevant criteria, including specific skills and the ability to speak English, to be able to work in the UK. All applicants will be required to have a job offer and, in line with the Migration Advisory Committee’s (MAC) recommendations, the minimum salary threshold will be reduced to £25,600 from the previously proposed £30,000.

The new points-based system will also expand the skills threshold for skilled workers. Those looking to live and work in the UK will now need to be qualified up to A level or equivalent, rather than degree level under the current system. This will provide greater flexibility and ensure UK business has access to a wide pool of skilled workers.

Applicants will be able to ‘trade’ characteristics if they do not meet all the requirements. Tradeable points will be given for salary, a job offer in a specific shortage occupation, and educational qualifications.

There will be a new fast-track NHS Visa for certain medical professionals with NHS job offers, reducing their visa fees and providing support to come to the UK with their families. Applicants will need to have a job offer from the NHS, be trained to a recognised standard and have good working English language skills. Indians are already the largest non-British group of staff in the NHS with more than 21,000 healthcare professionals, including more than 7,500 nurses.

The new UK points-based immigration system is expected to bring overall migration numbers down. It is estimated 70% of the existing EU workforce would not meet the set requirements of the skilled worker route.

To meet the specific temporary requirements of the agricultural sector, the seasonal workers pilot will be expanded in time for the 2020 harvest from 2,500 to 10,000 places.

Under the new UK immigration system, all applicants will be required to have a job offer, which will not allow independent skilled migrants to relocate to the UK without a job and seek employment when they arrive, as it was practised by EU citizens when the UK was an EU Member. Neither, will it allow employers to bring in staff from any country based on a salary threshold only as it is practised under the current system. Unlike the UK, Australia runs a separate employer nominated visa scheme, which does not rely on a points system as the basis for gaining entry, enabling people with a job offer to come and live and work in the country.

Rules are changing for students though. Student visa routes will also be points-based and be opened up to EU citizens, ensuring talent from around the globe has access to the UK’s world-class universities. Those wishing to study in the UK will need to demonstrate that they have an offer from an approved educational institution, that they can support themselves financially and that they speak English.

A new Graduate route will be introduced from the summer of 2021. It allow eligible international students to stay in the UK for two years after completing their studies to work or look for work. There will be no limit on the number of international students who can come to the UK to study.

The new arrangements will take effect from 1 January 2021, once freedom of movement with the European Union has ended.

Those EU citizens resident in the UK by 31 December 2020 can still apply to settle in the UK through the EU Settlement Scheme until June 2021. Since the scheme was fully launched to the public in April 2019, there have been more than 3 million applications from EU citizens living in the UK, with more than 2.7 million already granted status.

EU citizens and other non-visa nationals who will arrive in the UK after 1 January 2021 will not require a visa to enter the UK when visiting the UK for up to 6 months.

Image: Kaspars Grinvalds / Adobe Stock

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