British media said on September 25 that British Prime Minister James Zhuohuisi will make changes to the country's visa system to help people outside the EU obtain work visas and deal with the urgent labor shortage in key domestic industries.
The move was welcomed by the local business community.
The news was first reported by the "Sun", and the "London Evening Standard" said on the 25th that the Prime Minister's Office did not deny the news.
She will expand the "shortage occupation list" to allow some industries to hire more foreign workers, such as broadband engineers, the report said.
The text also pointed out that the review may also support the relaxation of English speaking proficiency requirements when recruiting foreigners in certain industries, so that more foreign workers can enter the UK to work.
The Home Office list allows people from outside the EU to enter the UK more easily, pay lower visa fees, and exempt UK employers from the usual obligation to prove "there are no suitable homegrown staff for the position".
In the long run, immigrants do not need to reach the £35,800 (about HK$300,000) threshold in order to settle in the UK after five years.
In addition, Zhuohuisi wants to remove the cap on the number of foreign workers who work in the seasonal agricultural part of the UK.
Under the plan, the government will issue 38,000 visas for foreign workers.
But the agriculture department has warned that this amount is not enough to address the severe labor shortage.
The seasonal work scheme, first introduced in 2019, temporarily allows 40,000 overseas workers to enter the UK to work in horticulture and poultry.
The Sun newspaper said the cap could be lifted and the "six months only" period to work in the UK would be extended.
"We need to take steps so that we have the right skills (people) to stimulate economic growth, including in the rural economy," the Prime Minister's Office said, quoted by the London Evening Standard.
A prime minister's official was quoted as saying the review would not necessarily lead to an increase in immigration.
The London Evening Standard said the government is expected to formulate an immigration reform plan later in 2022.
Immigration | The UK pushes the HPI work visa program to attract talent
British Prime Minister James Tracy to review the visa system?
Yes, the British media said that she will review and modify the country's visa system, assist people outside the EU to obtain work visas, and deal with the urgent labor shortage in key domestic industries.
She will expand the "shortage occupation list" to allow some industries to hire more foreign workers, such as broadband engineers.
What might the results of the inspection look like?
According to British media reports, the review may also support the relaxation of English speaking proficiency requirements when recruiting foreigners in certain industries, thereby enabling more foreign workers to work in the UK.
In the long run, immigrants do not need to reach the £35,800 (about HK$300,000) threshold in order to settle in the UK after five years.
