UK immigration cap will hurt foreign workers

United Kingdom, 15th April: The proposed annual cap by the Conservative Party has come under severe criticism from some of the biggest UK businesses.

It is being argued that any such limits on UK immigration will pose serious threats on the relations between the UK and the nations including India, Brazil and China. 

Chief Executive of London First (a leading UK business group), Baroness Jo Valentine, said that such plans of Conservative Party appear to be wholly illogical especially when the UK is promoting London as the best city for international business.  

Ms. Valentine, a non-party member of the House of Lords, said that although, the details of the Conservative Party’s plan are not yet known, however, it is being feared that such policies could render serious damages in the relationships of the UK with China and India. 

She added that the UK intends to explore increasing business opportunities with India over the period of next five years. Hence, immigration of people between both the countries is indispensable. 

David Garner of KPMG said such measures by the Conservative Party will considerably bring down the competitiveness of the UK. 

Limiting number of foreign skilled workers in the UK will prove to be a big hindrance in the way of attracting best talent from the world, the Confederation of British Industries (CBI) feared. 

At present, highly skilled overseas workers from non-EU are permitted to seek UK immigration under a points-based system of the UK. UK’s Points-Based System was introduced two years to bring down UK immigration. Labor favors points-based system that allows prospective UK immigrants to come into the UK by securing points based on skills and other criteria. 

As per the Conservative Party’s manifesto released earlier this week, net immigration into the UK will be reduced to bring it down to the level of the 1990s. So, the targeted reduction in the UK immigration through proposed cap will make the immigrant numbers to tens of thousands, Conservative leader David Cameron recently revealed to the BBC.  

Under Labor, net immigration in the UK increased significantly from 89,000 in the year 1991 to whopping 251,000 in the year 2008, the figures from the Office for National Statistics show.