London, July 19: The UK coalition government’s interim cap on immigration from outside the EU has come into effect from Monday. The interim limit will be in force till April 2011, when the Tory-LibDem government will impose a long-term limit. The UK Border Agency is holding a 12-week consultation with businesses to decide on the final figure for the annual immigration cap.
The interim limit on economic migrants from outside the EU allows home secretary Ms Theresa May to limit the overall number of certificates of sponsorship that may be assigned to points-based system sponsors during any particular period under Tiers I and II. The interim limit will also affect the number of certificates of sponsorship that may be assigned to individual sponsors, the UKBA said on Monday.
“All sponsors affected by the introduction of the interim limit will receive a letter detailing their allocation and how it has been calculated,” the UKBA added.
The interim limit includes capping the number of Tier I migrants at current levels and raising the number of points needed by non-EU workers who enter the UK for highly-skilled jobs from 95 to 100. The interim limit will ensure that work visas issued this year will stay five per cent below the 2009 levels, leading to only 24,100 workers from outside Europe entering the UK before April next year, of these 5,400 will be allowed under Tier I and 18,700 under Tier II.
The imposition of the interim cap on immigrants has lead to fears about shortage of skilled workers in the UK. India has already raised the issue with the UK when Union
commerce minister Mr Anand Sharma met PM Mr David Cameron
last month.
The British Chambers of Commerce has warned that if the restrictions are too strict, they have the potential to damage the economy. “It is absolutely essential to get the balance right,” British Chambers of Commerce director-general David Frost said.