UNIVERSITIES RESPOND Others, however, were not convinced, not least the leading universities that have become dependent on the fees generated by overseas students, 490,000 of whom got UK visas last year. The University and College Union, which represents


university staff, called the curbs on dependants a “vindictive move” that was causing “deep concern”. Jo Grady, the union’s general-secretary, said family members of overseas students “bring huge value to our society and deserve the right to live alongside their loved ones whilst they study”. Adam Habib, director of the School of Oriental


and African Studies at the University of London, went further, telling BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that the government’s move was “a terrible decision” for three reasons. “First,” he said, “a financial challenge. Second, it


raises issues of coherence in government. And third a human rights question. What this decision runs the risk of doing is making sure these institutions, these universities which are dependent on the fee income of international students, go through a financial crisis. “We are already seeing financial crises in universities


over the last year – there have been strikes over the last year, and vice-chancellors are having to manage that problem – but you will aggravate that problem.” Despite the criticism, the government is


understood to be considering further measures to cut legal migration, including raising the minimum salary requirement (currently £26,200) for skilled workers.


BUSINESSES CONTINUE TO CALL FOR MORE IMMIGRATION Any such move would be vehemently opposed by British businesses who continue to face a shortage of workers with the required skills. The Confederation of British Industry and British Chambers of Commerce are among the groups that have repeatedly called for more professions to be added to the government’s Shortage Occupation List, which makes it easier for firms to hire the overseas talent they need. A recent survey by the Federation of Small Businesses


found that 80% of small firms were struggling to recruit candidates with suitable skills at a time when there are still about a million job vacancies in the UK - 282,000 more than before the pandemic struck. Sky News published a report this week showing how


firms were recruiting outside Europe to secure the skills they need, “with India in particular providing staff to fill key vacancies”. Louisa Cole, principal associate at law firm Eversheds


Sutherland, which compiled the report, said: “Since the UK exited lockdown we have seen skills shortages exposed and businesses look overseas for talented workers to plug the gaps revealed. We knew that UK businesses leaned on international talent, but since leaving the EU many have looked further afield than the EU as freedom of movement ended. In some respects there is now a level playing field for those outside of the EU when coming to the UK. This has been evident in the likes of the financial services sector where UK firms have brought more talent from countries such as India, China, Nigeria and South Africa post-Brexit.” In a recent briefing paper on the impact of immigration on the UK labour market, the Migration


Observatory at the University of Oxford pointed out that the number of jobs in the UK economy is not fixed. “Migrants may compete with existing workers in


the UK for jobs, but they also cause the number of jobs to increase,” said the report. “Research shows that the impacts of migration on wages and employment prospects for UK-born workers is small. Low-wage workers are more likely to lose out from immigration while medium and high-paid workers are more likely to gain, but the effects are small. The wage effects of immigration are likely to be greatest for resident workers who are migrants themselves.” In a briefing paper last November, the observatory


said three factors had come together to make the number of visas granted to non-EU citizens unusually high: the introduction of visa routes for Ukrainian refugees and Hong Kong British Nationals (Overseas) status holders; an increase in international student numbers; and an increase in skilled work visa grants, particularly in the health and care sector. “High levels of non-EU visa grants cannot be


assumed to be a ‘new normal’,” concluded the report. “The future outlook for visa grants is always uncertain. However, some of the recent contributors to non-EU immigration are not expected to continue indefinitely, such as the arrival of Ukrainian refugees. “Higher immigration usually leads to higher


emigration because most non-EU citizens on work and study eventually leave the UK. But the expected emigration typically takes 1-3 years to materialise. This means that estimates of net migration may be unusually high over the next couple of years before emigration catches up. “Recent immigration patterns are not simply the


result of the end of free movement and the introduction of the post-Brexit immigration policy. The Ukraine visa schemes were not part of the policy for replacing free movement, for example. “The post-Brexit system is likely to have had some


impact on non-EU visa grants, however - for example, via the extension of work visas to care workers and seasonal workers and the decision to grant international students post-study work rights.” And while opinion polls have shown an increasingly


relaxed attitude among the British public since Brexit over the issue of legal migration, the same does not appear to be true in the ranks of government. The latest net migration figures seem certain to


only heighten what one political reporter described as “the turmoil” that exists in Conservative ranks over the issue.


“SINCE THE UK EXITED LOCKDOWN WE’VE SEEN SKILLS SHORTAGES EXPOSED AND BUSINESSES LOOK OVERSEAS FOR TALENTED WORKERS.”


LOUISA COLE, PRINCIPAL ASSOCIATE, EVERSHEDS SUTHERLAND


55


THINK GLOBAL PEOPLE IMMIGRATION


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