UK immigration cap will be ineffective-UK lawmakers

United Kingdom, 8th November: A panel of UK lawmakers has stated that the proposed UK immigration cap will not affect around 80 percent of UK immigration applicants.

The permanent cap on UK visas to be introduced from April 2011 onwards on the non-EU migrants wanting to live and work in the UK will just affect around 20 percent of total immigrants, cautions the Commons Home Affairs Select Committee.

The report states that without making much difference to the number of non-EU workers seeking UK immigration, the permanent UK visa cap will, however, be quite damaging for the UK economy and will considerably limit the ability of the nation to invite best talent from abroad.

So, there will be a direct impact on the number of high-skilled professionals seeking UK immigration including scientists, researchers and other top professionals.

The committee warns that the cap on UK work visas will not have any affect on international students, migrants seeking family visas for coming to the UK or EU citizens wanting to come to the UK.

Hence, there is a need for an immediate action on the part of the UK government to help curb such immigrants from coming to the UK if it wants to limit the UK immigration levels to tens of thousands.

The report states that the level of UK immigration cap is not announced yet, but, it won’t affect the overall UK immigration levels.

As per the official figures for the year 2008, 538,000 foreigners immigrated to the UK and out of these, the number of workers hailing from non-EU nations was just 20 percent.

Hence, the reduction of five percent in the number of international workers coming to the UK will only result in reducing the UK immigration levels by one percent, the report clarifies.

The UK government, meanwhile, has already reaffirmed its stand to control UK immigration levels by focusing on UK student visas and UK family visas issued each year apart from capping UK work permits in the changes to be introduced shortly.

The committee has also stated that any reduction in the intra-company transfers under the UK immigration should not be made and the ICTs (intra-company transfers) below two years must not be included in the UK immigration cap.