The Labour Government has announced strict new criteria for foreign workers who are hoping to fill skilled vacancies in Britain.
To qualify, skilled foreign nationals will have to earn a certain number of points before being allowed to work in Britain. These points are awarded only if a person can prove they will be doing skilled work, speak a good standard of English, and are earning more than £24,000, or have a decent qualification. Employers will need a licence from the UK Border Agency to offer jobs to skilled workers.
British-based companies will have to prove they cannot fill skilled posts with a resident worker and must show that the job vacancy has been advertised in the UK. Would-be migrants will need a job offer before they even apply for a visa, unless the job is on the shortage occupation list.
Border and Immigration Minister Liam Byrne said:
"Our new points system means that British jobseekers get the first crack of the whip and that only the skilled migrants we actually need will be able to come.
"By moving points up or down, we can make sure the numbers we allow in to the UK are in line with the needs of business and the country as a whole.
"When we set the points pass mark, we will listen to independent advice - the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) on the needs of the economy, and the Migration Impacts Forum (MIF) on the effect of migration on society."
I used to work for the Home Office and they were planning this long before you announced it, so I think you're letting the HO tell you what to do rather than the other way round, shades of Yes Minister and why it's wrong to blame you for this - you've just 'gone native' and your boss is only interested in spin. To think we thought Blair was bad.
As long as we have vacancies we should let anybody with a valid return ticket come and work here.
Yes, they are likely to send some money back home - but surely to goodness a Labour Government can see that you don't just needs bank transfers to help build civil society in developing countries.
So: either have no immigration or have very low barriers. Either way we play fair with the Third World.
I appreciate this is a minority position, but surely Globalisation means more than the breaking down of borders for capital flows, it also means labour flows too - otherwise we're kidding ourselves and all we're doing is exporting increasing labour inequality to the world's poorest people.
Or is that OK and we are now setting aside the international dimension of Socialism?
By allowing the already skilled from 3rd world countries to come here, we can ensure that Britain grows. And therefore is able to use this renumeration in order to support the 3rd world nations? Since if the skilled workers stay where they are money that is avaiable will be of little use?
Two years more to suffer under your incompetence then an election night party to remember.
Adios losers.
Cheap labour = low pay = low pension = poverty in old, well done labour!
But let’s not forget, it does mean more low pay workers they can TAX.