The UK has introduced new laws aimed at reducing migration and giving priority to British workers.

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The minimum salary range for those coming to the UK on a skilled work visa has increased by 48 per cent, from £26,200 to £38,700.

The move means employers cannot pay foreign workers less than British workers. As such, the government aims to encourage employers to focus primarily on the British workforce, reports VisaGuide.World.

According to the Home Office, the increase will restructure the immigration system to prioritize the highly skilled people needed by the economy, while reducing the total number of immigrants.

It is time to turn off the taps and stop the influx of cheap workers from abroad. Mass migration is unsustainable, and it’s not fair at all. It lowers the wages of hardworking people who are just trying to make ends meet.

James Cleverley, UK Home Secretary

Employers were encouraged to put the UK workforce first.

As of April 4, authorities also scrapped the list of shortage occupations, as the government believes that no sector should be permanently dependent on foreign workers. Therefore, employers cannot pay immigrants less than British workers.

Additionally, the UK has established a new Immigration Salary List (ISL) based on the recommendations of the independent expert Migration Advisory Committee (MAC).

As officials have explained, the list will only include skilled occupations facing shortages, and will consider whether the efforts made by industries to train local workers are not sufficient. In view, it is appropriate to include them.

However, the government noted that listing should not reduce pay or undermine the recruitment of British workers. This further encouraged employers to prioritize hiring trained, highly skilled, and local workers before looking elsewhere.

In 2023, the UK government launched its £2.5 billion back-to-work plan, which aims to remove barriers to employment for more than a million people who are long-term unemployed, ill, or disabled.

Meanwhile, Work and Pensions Secretary Mel Stride pledged to help jobseekers get on with a £2.5 billion back-to-work plan.

I’m committed to giving jobseekers the support they need to get up and moving through our £2.5 billion back-to-work plan, while our network of Jobcentres provide apprenticeships, bootcamps and skills programmes. Doing it to help more people work.

Mel Stride, Work and Pensions Secretary

He further expressed the hope that these changes, together with his future welfare reforms, would unlock the greater potential of British workers.

Britain banned foreign care workers from bringing dependents.

In March 2024, the UK introduced stricter visa rules affecting foreign workers. More specifically, the The government ended the ability to bring in foreign care workers Dependents to the country.

An estimated 120,000 dependents were on the route in the year ending September 2023, along with 100,000 workers who will no longer be able to come.

UK Home Office

In January, a similar move was made for almost all postgraduate students in the UK. As a result, the number of applications from student dependents is expected to drop significantly this year.

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