Tier 2 Cap damaging Britain’s High-Tech economy
The tech sector is the latest area of Britain's economy to be hit by the Tier 2 Cap imposed by the Home Office. The cap limits the number of skilled workers who can come to take up roles they have already been offered the UK using the Tier 2 business immigration route. The BBC has reported that over 1200 IT/Tech specialists who were offered roles were denied visas between December 2017 to March 2018.
The Campaign for Science and Engineering (CASE) obtained the figures. The Chief Executive of CASE, Dr Sarah Main, commented in response
"The tragedy is that this policy doesn't work for anyone: the government, employers or the public"
"The government repeats its mantra that Britain should be open to the brightest and the best, and yet this policy specifically rejects those people."
The Government is keen to say that Britain is ‘open for business’, specifically looking to develop the tech sector, and build a high-tech economy for the 21st Century and beyond. It seems clear to top Immigration solicitors in London that the current Immigration policy, and the Tier 2 cap, will hinder this significantly. Although the Government policy is designed to encourage business to recruit from the settled workforce first, the requirements of the Tier 2 visa process mean that employers will have had to advertise these roles in the UK first before recruiting overseas. The cap effectively prevents employers from filling roles that they cannot fill within the UK.
The latest figures from the Home Office indicate that in March 2018, the number of visa refusals topped 50% for the first time. Since December 2017, the monthly limit has been significantly exceeded every month, although March was the first time the number of refusals amounted to more than half the applications. In the previous years since the cap was introduced in 2012, it had only been exceeded once, in June 2015, when 66 visa applications for engineering roles were refused. Scientists and engineers have been hardest hit, with the cumulative total now standing at over 1800, while over 1500 medical practitioners with roles to come to have been refused visas.
As some of the best Immigration lawyers in London, the team at OTS Solicitors can advise your business on the process for obtaining a Tier 2 Sponsor Licence, enabling you to sponsor talent from overseas to come and work in your business, and can support individuals making an application for a Tier 2 visa. We are highly recommended in the Legal 500 for all aspects of business immigration law. Call 0203 959 9123 to book an appointment today whatever your business immigration issue.