UK visa: Keir Starmer’s government to focus on hiring foreigners in IT and engineering – will Indian workers be included in the policy?

The UK government led by Prime Minister Keir Starmer intends to restrict the employment of workers abroad by information technology, telecommunications and engineering companies.

Changes to UK visa rules could impact those looking to work in sectors that are among the most popular users of work visas.

Raising the minimum income threshold or restrictions on different regions of the UK could become part of the new visa rules.

In a letter to Brian Bell, chairman of the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC), UK Home Secretary Yvette Cooper asked the panel to look into the issue of the technology, telecommunications and engineering sectors being dependent on skilled worker visas.

She also added that it is necessary to understand why some key professions are so dependent on foreign workers.

“These sectors are in the top ten sectors that are reliant on international recruitment and the government would like the MAC to set out the reasons for this. The high level of international recruitment reflects weaknesses in the labour market, including persistent skills shortages in the UK,” she wrote.

“What policy levers in the immigration system could be used to encourage sectors to focus on recruiting from the domestic workforce,” she said, adding that the system was “not working in the national interest.”

The Home Secretary also said the UK Government was “deeply grateful for the contribution that people from all over the world make to our economy… the system needs to be managed and controlled”.

The MAC is due to submit its report within nine months.

Minimum Income Requirement for UK Family Visa

Keir Starmer’s government recently shelved a planned increase in the minimum income threshold for British citizens and permanent residents who apply to bring family members to the UK

Mr Cooper told the House of Commons in a written statement that there would be no further increases to the current £29,000 annual income requirement until the MAC completed its review of the impact of the increases on families.

“Family immigration rules, including minimum income requirements, must strike a balance between respecting family life and ensuring the UK’s economic prosperity is maintained,” she said.