The United Kingdom Government on Monday took what it described as a bold step in curbing the spate of immigration into the country by announcing stricter rules.
This was confirmed in a statement released on Monday on the website and social media handles of the country.
The Home Office Department of Health and Social Care and Department for Work said new rules to radically cut net migration and tackle visa abuse are now in force as part of the government’s plan to bring down unsustainable levels of legal migration.
Interior Secretary, James Cleverly, said: “Care workers make an incredible contribution to our society, taking care of our loved ones in times of need.
“But we cannot justify inaction in the face of clear abuse, manipulation of our immigration system and unsustainable migration numbers.
“It is neither right nor fair to allow this unacceptable situation to continue.
“We promised the British people action, and we will not rest until we have delivered on our commitment to bring numbers down substantially.
“Our plan is robust but fair – protecting British workers while ensuring the very best international talent can work and study here, to add value to our society and grow the economy.
“There is clear evidence that care workers have been offered visas under false pretences, travelling thousands of miles for jobs that simply don’t exist or to be paid far below the minimum wage required for their work, exploiting them while undercutting British workers.
“These changes come into force as the government is set to lay rules in Parliament later this week (14 March) to prevent the continued undercutting of British workers, which includes raising the salary threshold that a skilled worker must meet in order to get a visa and removing the 20% ‘going-rate’ discount for migrant workers in shortage occupations.”
On her part, Minister for Social Care, Helen Whately, said: “International care workers make an invaluable contribution caring for our loved ones, but international recruitment and more immigration are not long-term solutions to our social care needs.
“These rules provide a more ethical and sustainable approach.
“We are boosting our homegrown workforce by reforming social care careers.
“These include the first ever national career path for care workers and a new care qualification.
“Our reforms will grow the domestic workforce and build on our success over the last year that saw more people working in social care, fewer vacancies and lower staff turnover.
“The Home Secretary will also, today, commission a review of the graduate route for international students to prevent abuse, protect the integrity and quality of UK higher education, and ensure it works in the best interests of the UK.
“He will ask the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) to ensure that demand for the graduate route, through which a total of 175,872 visas have been granted since it was established, is fit for purpose and focused on attracting the best and brightest to the UK.
“This follows concerns raised after analysis by the MAC revealed that the number of international postgraduate students attending institutions with the lowest UCAS entry requirements has increased by over 250% between 2018 and 2022.
“This follows reforms to student visas which came into force at the start of January, ending the ability of nearly all postgraduate students to bring dependants to the UK.
“The government expects to see a drastic fall in student dependant applications this year, with early indications already of this downward trend.”
According to the latest figures by the UK Office of National Statistics, Nigeria is ranked Number 2, accounting for 141,000 non-EU nationalities that have arrived in the UK in the last one year.
