The devolved administrations have written to the Minister for Safe and Legal Migration, detailing the impact that the Skilled Worker Visa scheme and wider issues of migration are having on their economic recovery.
The letter was sent jointly from the Scottish government’s Minister for Culture, Europe and International Development, the Welsh government’s Minister for Social Justice, and the Northern Ireland executive’s Minister for the Economy. It was addressed to Kevin Foster MP, Minister for Safe and Legal Migration.
Migration is a “cross-cutting policy affecting many aspects of devolved competency”, the letter stated and therefore it is crucial that any intergovernmental decisions “work on the basis of agreement by consensus [between the UK nations].”
It said that the UK government has failed to “work constructively” with the devolved governments on changes pertaining to the current immigration system. It added: “This is despite the severe labour and skills shortages faced across all Four Nations which can largely be attributed to the excessively restrictive UK immigration system.”
Changes to the immigration system
Whilst the group recognised that migration is not the sole solution to the current labour shortage problems, it asserted that it is “a key lever in addressing the issue quickly and effectively until longer-term interventions can be implemented.” The group added that action taken by the devolved governments to support business “must be supplemented by immediate changes to the immigration system in order to access the labour and skills [needed] to survive the current crisis.”
The letter claimed that the UK government “pushed ahead with plans” without any consultation with the devolved governments, including through the introduction of temporary visas. It added that the evidence given by Foster on 14th December 2021 on the uptake of the visa schemes indicated that the eligibility criteria and conditions of the short-term visas were “not conducive to attracting the skills and labour we desperately need for our economies and communities.”
In addition, the group urged the UK government to “work with us to develop evidence-based solutions, including through engaging with devolved governments in the bi-annual amendments to the immigration rules.”
The group claimed that the UK government has excessively charged those on short-term visas who would have been meeting “desperate” UK labour shortages, due to the number of expenses attached to visa applications. It said: “A migration system should be easy to access and understand, and focused on what a prospective migrant can offer, not on their ability to pay.”
Skilled Worker scheme issues
The collective called the Home Office’s licensing system for Skilled Worker visa sponsorship, including compliance requirements, “overly bureaucratic and ineffective.” It said that the requirements for short-term sectoral visas presented “significant burdens on employers and individuals and has led to low interest and take-up.”
According to the devolved administrations, the current immigration system is “unresponsive to labour market requirements”, and they therefore request that the UK government “immediately revisit their previously proposed 12-month temporary worker route.”
It said: “The current Skilled Worker route is inflexible, costly and bureaucratic, and serves to exclude many of the key workers that we need, many of whom have been crucial during the Covid-19 pandemic. This poses significant challenges for the individual and employers.”
Call to action
The ministers are now calling upon the UK government to “act urgently” on the outlined proposals. They said: “It is essential for all Four Nations to have the opportunity to regularly and meaningfully contribute to discussions regarding the immigration system and wider migration matters. This includes prior notice on any announcements.”
Regular quadrilateral ministerial meetings with migration counterparts should also be reintroduced by the Home Office, the letter said. It added: “The UK government has said it wants the immigration system to work for all parts of the UK. Without a commitment to regular and meaningful engagement with the devolved governments, this is simply not possible.”
