Increase in minimum salary, NHS surcharge hike: How UK is planning to cut migration

UK prime minister Rishi Sunak is under pressure to address record net migration figures. Therefore, he revealed measures to reduce the number of migrants arriving through legal means on Monday, including increasing the minimum salary that skilled foreign workers will need to earn if they want a visa to work in the UK. This move comes as official estimates revealed a record high of 745,000 net migrations to the UK in 2022, surpassing the number of individuals leaving the country. Notably, migrants are now coming from places like India, Nigeria, and China, rather than the EU. “Immigration is too high. Today we’re taking radical action to bring it down,” said Sunak, who is also trying to deport migrants who arrive illegally to Rwanda. “Enough is enough,” Home Secretary James Cleverly told parliament as he laid out his proposals, which will take effect early next year. He added that the plan would result in 300,000 fewer people coming to the UK in the coming years. Here are the key measures announced by Sunak’s government and how they will affect immigrants. Higher salary thresholds, visa limits, and NHS surcharge hike Immigration is expected to be a key issue in the general election next year, where the main Opposition Labour party is currently favoured to win. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has pledged to reduce new arrivals, unveiling Britain’s tougher visa rules: Increase in salary threshold: Cleverly announced that skilled foreign workers wanting a UK visa would have to earn £38,700 (Rs 40.74 lakh), up from £26,200 (Rs 27.59 lakh) — just over a third more. Health and social care workers, facing staff shortages, are exempted but restricted from bringing family dependents. Cleverly raised the minimum income for family visas and confirmed restrictions on international students bringing dependents. Health and Care visa limits: The popular Health and Care visa for carers and their dependents will face new restrictions. Overseas carers can no longer bring dependents to the UK, and care providers are limited to sponsoring foreign workers engaged in activities governed by the Care Quality Commission. NHS surcharge hike: Cleverly confirmed an increase in the surcharge migrants pay to access the National Health Service (NHS) by 66 per cent, to £1,035 (Rs 1.08 lakh). [caption id=“attachment_13466402” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Immigration is expected to be a key issue in the general election next year, where the main Opposition Labour party is currently favoured to win. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has pledged to reduce new arrivals, unveiling Britain’s tougher visa rules. AP[/caption] Crackdown on cut-price labour: The government will introduce an Immigration Salary List, evaluated by the Migration Advisory Committee, aligning with rising pay thresholds. The 20 per cent wage deduction for shortage occupations will be removed. Restrictions on dependents: The government also intends to stop allowing a large number of dependents to enter the UK. Restrictions on student dependents: Steps have already been taken to address the growing number of students entering the UK with dependents. It is anticipated that these modifications will have a substantial effect on net migration, with 153,000 visas being awarded to dependents of sponsored students in the year ending in September 2023. Conservatives face urgency as migration surges Cleverly also announced government plans to reform the “shortage occupation list,” detailing jobs where British workers are insufficient. The Conservatives, winning a landslide under Boris Johnson in 2019, promised to bring down net migration numbers. However, regular migration has increased since the UK formally left the EU in January 2020, with net migration reaching 488,000 in 2021. Pressure from MPs and lagging behind Labour in opinion polls adds further urgency for Sunak’s government to take action ahead of the upcoming election in January 2025. With inputs from AFP