New visa rules have ‘destroyed’ business expansion
RESTAURANT BOSS SAYS HE WILL NOT BE ABLE TO GET THE SKILLED WORKERS HE NEEDS
A NOTTINGHAM pizzeria owner will have to stop sponsorship for new staff from abroad following the new Skilled Worker visa requirements recently introduced by the Government.
Antonio Oriente, owner of Pizzamisu, a Neapolitan pizzeria in High Pavement, expressed his disappointment after the announcement of the new rules, which could affect thousands of other workers in the hospitality industry. He said his dream to open another restaurant in the area has been “destroyed” by these changes.
It comes as the UK Government announced it will increase the minimum salary required for those arriving on the Skilled Worker visa from £26,200 to £38,700 by 2025, with fears it would further fuel staff shortages.
Antonio, 50, said: “These new requirements have forced me to stop my sponsorship. I cannot get staff through it as I cannot employ anyone as a pizza chef for over £38,000, because how can you do it?
“If I lose a chef, it’s going to be complicated as there are not many people specialised in Neapolitan pizza. It sounds like a small thing but it’s not, as you need that specific expertise to guarantee the product we make.”
Any Skilled Worker Visa application before April 4, 2024 will be exempt from the new salary threshold, including when they make future applications to extend their stay, change employers or settle.
The increase comes as part of a package of wider changes to the UK immigration system. Other measures include ending the ability for all students to bring dependents to the UK and restricting care workers from bringing family members to the UK. The Shortage Occupation List will also be replaced with a new Immigration Salary List with employers no longer able to pay migrants less than a UK worker in shortage occupations.
Nottingham East MP Nadia Whittome expressed her worries about the new rules, particularly regarding the negative impact on the local economy. The Labour politician said: “That people come from all over the world to live, study and work in Nottingham is a huge part of what makes our city so great.
“Migration benefits our economy, our society and our public services. These new rules will have devastating consequences for families who will be forced apart, as well as a detrimental impact on certain sectors of our local economy, like hospitality businesses who might struggle to find staff with the skills they need.”
Antonio added that the new laws have impacted his dream to open a new restaurant and expand his operation in Nottinghamshire as finding new specialised staff would be too difficult. He said: “My dream to open a new restaurant in West Bridgford has been destroyed by these new laws.
“I cannot open a new pizzeria and not be able to guarantee the same quality – this is extremely important for a family business like us, we want to maintain our authenticity.”
A Home Office spokesperson said: “These changes to the salary threshold strike the right balance between reducing net migration and ensuring businesses invest in and recruit from the domestic workforce, while also ensuring the skilled worker route cannot be used as a source of low-cost labour.”
Home Secretary James Cleverly added: “We have reached a tipping point with mass migration. There is no simple solution or easy decision which cuts numbers to levels acceptable to the British people.
“Whether it was words unsupported by action, unfounded optimism or just plain wishful thinking that migration would fall on its own, indifference of any kind is never going to work – only determined action, backed by strong resolve, will deliver needed change.”