Steering immigrants to regions
New immigration rules will encourage migrants to head for the regions, says Immigration Minister Iain Lees-Galloway.
He said the changes would help sectors experiencing labour shortages to get the support they need.
The new proposals include introducing a new framework for assessing all employer-assisted temporary work visas.
The minister said the framework would be employer-led, rather than migrant-led.
He said the current system was overly complex, included several different visa options and was not responsive enough to sectoral or regional variance in the labour market.
“There are also too few checks and balances on employers hiring migrants, leading to increased migrant exploitation as some employers with poor track records are still able to access migrant labour.”
Key parts of the proposal include replacing the essential skills in demand lists with regional skills shortage lists, as well as improving the alignment of the immigration, welfare, and education systems.
The regional skills shortage lists are to better reflect regional skill shortages and give temporary migrants a stronger signal of openings in regions.
Lees-Galloway also wants to introduce sector agreements to ensure longer-term structural issues are tackled.
“The new employer checks will help combat migrant exploitation by lifting the requirements on all employers and enabling the Government to put tougher tests in place for higher risk employers and employers looking to hire multiple migrants,” he said.
“The proposed changes represent a significant shift in how we operate our Immigration system . . . I encourage everyone to have their say.”
Consultation on the proposals is open to all individuals, groups or organisations and closes on March 18, with final decisions to be revealed by the middle of next year.