Sunak considers ‘growth visas’ for skilled migrants

A “GROWTH VISA” to bring in skilled workers to plug shortages and revive the economy is being considered by Rishi Sunak.

A Downing Street source confirmed yesterday that the new visa route, an idea devised by the Prime Minister’s predecessor, Liz Truss, is “still being discussed” as a way to boost economic growth. Mr Sunak has pledged to bring down net migration to fulfil a 2019 Tory manifesto pledge but has also backed new visa schemes to attract more highly skilled migrants and entrepreneurs. Earlier this year, as chancellor, he cited figures showing that nearly half of the UK’S science, technology and engineering researchers were immigrants and half of the most innovative companies were founded by an immigrant.

The growth visa emerged from a cross government project by Ms Truss aimed at ensuring Britain had sufficient skilled workers to deliver on infrastructure projects in rail, wind and nuclear energy, telecommunications, digital and roads.

The move could put him at odds with Suella Braverman, the Home Secretary, who said at the Tory conference her longterm ambition was to reduce net migration to the tens of thousands.

There are fears within the Home Office that figures, to be published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) on Nov 24, could show net migration at a record high, sparking a backlash from voters who supported Brexit to take back control of the UK’S borders.

Migration experts said that they would “not be surprised” if net migration passed the previous post-war high of 390,000 in 2015, which would represent a sharp increase from the last total of 239,000 for the year to June 2021. Mrs Braverman and Robert Jenrick, the immigration minister, are understood to be working on measures to reduce net migration by reining in the number of dependents that students can bring to the UK and tightening rules for those staying after graduation.

They believe they can “square the circle” by using the existing points-based immigration scheme to increase skilled migration and plug shortages while cracking down on abuses of the system.

Mr Jenrick said last week that there were areas where fast-track visas would “make sense,” citing examples such as those for health and social care, which had brought in “tens of thousands of doctors and nurses to help the NHS.

However, he said the Government also wanted to put pressure on companies to train up more domestic UK staff given that there were five million “economically inactive” people in the UK.

“The points-based system we have created has seen a quite big increase in the number of people coming into country,” said Mr Jenrick. “But our overall longterm objective is to bring down immigration but to do it in a smart and intelligent way that brings in people that we need.”