UK Government Unveils Points Based Immigration System
As previously reported by "Immigration Matters" the government has finally unveiled its plans to change the entire UK immigration system to one based on points: the more in demand the skill, the more likely the individual will be able to come to the UK. In this special report we assess how the new rules will affect the care industry. All the current work permits and entry schemes will be replaced by a five tier points-based system, the aim being to only allow entry to those whose skills will benefit the UK. The more skills you have, and the more those skills are in demand, the more points you will gain, increasing your likelihood of entry to the UK. European Union workers will not be affected. See www.workingintheuk.gov.uk. THE FIVE TIERS Tier One: Highly skilled
People in this category will automatically gain enough points to come to the UK without a job offer and seek work or set up a business. This group would include doctors, scientists, and top-flight entrepreneurs. Workers in this category will have the most flexibility in the UK and greatest opportunities to settle for good. Tier two: Skilled with job offer
As expected this will cover people with qualifications or important work-related experience in a huge range of sectors from health service workers to white collar jobs and the trades. People in this category will be given points based on their talents and will be allowed into the UK if they have a job offer in a "shortage area" such as teaching or nursing. Those applying for workers to fill other jobs will have to go through the Resident Labour Market Test to prove the job cannot be filled by the resident workforce and workers will need to gain sufficient points to qualify – see below. Tier three: Low skilled
The government has already started phasing out schemes which allow temporary migrants to fill low skilled jobs to jobs in the catering and hospitality sector. It will now end permissions for agricultural workers from outside the EU in favour of workers from the expanded European Union, although it adds that it may allow controlled quotas in certain sectors. Tier four: Students
This covers students paying for tuition in the UK and reflects the importance that universities and colleges attach to income from overseas. Overseas students are said to be worth £5 billion to the economy and are a valuable source of labour for care homes. Tier five: Temporary workers, Youth mobility
This will include professional sports people or professional musicians, who want to "work" in the UK for an event such as a football match or a concert. The youth mobility aspect is intended to cover cultural exchanges or working holidays by young people. WHO DECIDES WHICH WORKERS ARE NEEDED? The Home Office will establish an independent “Skills Advisory” board to supply accurate information on where the gaps exist and recommend changes. So, for instance, if in one year there is a shortage of care assistants in the UK, the board may recommend awarding more entry points to foreign carers. A few months later it may suggest cutting the points available as the gap is plugged, a situation which could leave employers lurching from one crisis to another. On average it takes two months to get an overseas worker into the country, so employers need a clear and consistent long term policy rather than short term quick-fix solutions. There will be sanctions against overstaying. Workers in some sectors prone to abuse will be expected to hand over a financial bond, repayable when they leave at the end of their visa. Employers themselves will be fined £2,000 for each illegal worker. The government says that the new system will effectively end the migration of low-skilled workers from outside the EU. This is however a complicated issue and the system allows the government to open up routes should shortages emerge. Some organisations which lobbied the government during the consultation for the system argue that a block on low-skilled workers from outside the EU will exacerbate illegal migration. Two sectors which rely on cheap non-EU labour are cleaning companies and Indian and Chinese catering. They now have ex-Europe Minister Keith Vaz on their side expressing “reservations” about the scheme. The care industry has been less vocal however Martin Green at the ECCA has raised this issue with the Options for Excellence Board and with Cross Bench Peers in the House of Lords. These new proposals will hurt employers and staff and at first glance of the government’s document our predictions (see www.immigrationmatters.co.uk) could be proved correct. Senior Carers from countries like India and The Philippines could be frozen out altogether. The points system currently proposed is heavily weighted towards shortage occupations, people applying for jobs paying over £18000 and those with UK equivalent degrees. Since a Senior Carer position is not currently considered as a shortage occupation, does not pay anywhere near £18000 and Filipino and Indian degrees are not considered by UK NARIC (the National Agency for the Department for Education and Skills) as UK equivalent, care homes are going to find it virtually impossible to employ care staff from outside the EU. This will not only stop new recruitment but prevent employers from extending work permits for existing staff. The proposed model, which is still “subject to revision following further modelling”, illustrates that a person requires 50 points to qualify for a work permit. People applying for jobs in “shortage occupation” areas such as nursing will qualify automatically, but others will face stiff tests. They would need a UK equivalent Bachelors degree and be applying for a job that pays more than £18000. The problem for people applying from countries like the Philippines, India or Pakistan is that their qualifications are unlikely to be classed as UK equivalent. To add to their woes the salary range for a Senior is from £11500 to around £15000. Based on this model you’d need a PhD from Harvard to qualify for a care job I was speaking at the “Skills to Care Event” last week, organised by the Surrey Care Association. Erica Lockhart, the Chief Executive of Surrey Care Association Ltd, estimates that between 60% – 70% of staff employed in care homes in the Surrey area have come from overseas. When care homes are already struggling to fill vacancies and Dame Denise Platt, Chair of the CSCI, is warning that “staff shortages are putting patients at risk” the last thing we need is an immigration crackdown. The Home Office are holding a series of meetings for employers this month and have said are still prepared to listen. Should you have any strong views on the changes you can email the Home Secretary, Charles Clarke by visiting the House of Commons website: http://www.parliament.uk/directories/hciolists/alms.cfm#C. If you should have any questions concerning any of the above issues or would like further advice on visas or work permits please email Charles Kelly info@overseasconsultancy.com. Charles Kelly is an London based Immigration Adviser, Director of Overseas Consultancy Services and Co-Author of “How 2 Come to the UK to Live Work Study or Visit”. He writes a regular column, Immigration Matters, for a number of leading magazines. Previous subjects covered includes "The British Citizenship Test", "Civil Partnership Rights" and "Obtaining a Work Permit". His companies Bison UK Ltd and Overseas Consultancy Services Ltd has helped thousands of people live, work, study and settle in the UK. |
Other Football System Articles
Defending your Blinds in Poker Some players will not let you check your bb if all other players have folded around to the dealer button or small blind. Some players often raise every time to try to steal the blinds and remain the aggressor. This strategy is especially used in short - handed games where there are only 3-5 people and the blinds come fast. The question is do you ...Internet Card Room II The world of online poker grows by leaps and bounds each day. You may want to get in on all the fun by joining an internet card room. These rooms are available no matter what time of day or night you choose to play. There are rooms with different themes and many different variations of play. An internet card room can give you many hours of virtu ...The MIT Blackjack Team Story What's the first thing that enters your mind when you think of MIT, the world-renowned Massachusetts Institute of Technology: engineering genius, mathematical wizard, visionary, geek, hacker? If you chose any one of those, you would be correct. Mix them all together, add some smoke and mirrors, big-time anonymous investors, a dash of anarchy for ...Secret Lottery Winning Tips Don't think lucky. Think smart. Some of these tips may seem obvious at first sight, but I bet you've made some of these common mistakes at one time or another.1. You've got to be in it to win it - OK, that's not much of a secret, but it's amazing how many people forget to enter, arrive at the terminal too late, go on holiday, or it's too ...Where's Jimmy Carter When You Need Him? Old Presidents don't get any smarter. But they do have something to contribute, even after office!President Jimmy Carter had no good points as President. He never seemed to make a decision, which is the reason he not only failed to get re-elected, he will not go down in historical terms as one of the best Presidents as far as "In Office" ...The Standard Of Football Referees In The Premiership What do you think of the current standard of the football referees in the English Premiership? Do you think a system of video replays should be introduced to help these referees and to stop what are some important mistakes being made? These two questions are things which myself and my friends debate on a regular basis, especially after a few bee ...Betting Trends I like match-ups and situational handicapping. This includes such things as strengths against weaknesses, bad lines, homecoming and revenge spots. I'm not big into betting trends. Trends can be dangerous. Some novice sports bettors think, “This team has lost 3 straight against the number, that means they're more likely to cover this game.” Well, ...Blackjack Card Counting - Don't Believe These Three Myths Card counting can put the odds in the favor of the blackjack player, but it has limitations and is not the "holy grail" that many blackjack players believe.It is a belief that has seen several blackjack card counting myths emerge that cause many players to lose. Here are some of the more frequent ones.Myth 1: A Complicated Strategy ...All about HDTV The HDTV has become increasingly popular since its introduction. There are many well-known electronic manufacturers that have designed many models of the HD style TV. There are multiple sizes, styles and colors that can be attributed to a HD television. Likewise, there are various price tags found on the HD television. With so many choices and d ...#50 Wake Forest Demon Deacons Preview Spring practices are in the books and fall camps will be here before you know it so that means getting an early jump on the 2006 NCAA football season. Knowing the teams now will save you time in August and Matt Fargo is here to help you get a grasp of what to expect this upcoming year. We go from worst to first in this 2006 College Football Prev ...Playing the Hokey Pokey can get you Killed During a Fire Drill It is four a.m. I have been asleep for roughly two hours. I can still smell and taste this really disgusting pizza we had a few hours earlier. Suddenly the fire alarm goes off throughout the entire building. I decided I was going to go back to sleep until a tiny voice in my head started shouting like a computer nerd during a power failure, “you’ ...Switching From Home Based Texas Holdem to Online Texas Holdem Online Texas Hold'em has taken the world by storm in the past few years. In case you've been left behind, we are going to get you caught up to speed with the world of online texas hold'em poker. I'm going to assume that you have a working knowledge of the game of texas holdem and only talk about the differences between online and offline texas ...Game Plan for Limit Holdem Poker Play Players that are very experienced with poker can find the game of limit Texas hold’em a little bit misleading. Almost these players there is a rumor that seems to be put into practice by more and more persons every day and this popular rumor says that when you are in such a game with low limits like $2-$4, $3-$6 you should basically do nothing a ...Controlling Compulsive Gambling Habits When was the last time you visited a casino in a excited frame of mind, only to leave the casino in a bad mood because the majority of the bets did not go your way? I think this is an all too common issue which faces many players from occasional gamblers to the high rollers. Depending on the nature of the loss, there are different methods of app ...Popular Roulette Games The word “roulette” means “small wheel” in French. Most historians credit a 17th century mathematician for developing the first roulette games. Roulette games caught on quickly in the Western hemisphere and the United States has a different version than the European version.The US version has a square with double zeroes and the European v ...Sports Betting 101- How to Bet on Hockey The most recent changes brought about in the hockey world centered around the NHL lock-out of the 2004-2005 season, the end result was a season without hockey and a flurry of new rules, most of the new rules were created and designed to bring more excitement to the game of hockey, however, these same rule changes also affected the way a gambler ...Poker Tournament Tips - For Experienced Players Only Here are some poker tournament tips (for flop games) that should help your game and results; In the early stages of a tournament plan on being on the table for awhile, you might not get moved at all if it is the “final” table. Get comfortable with your cushions, drinks or whatever you need. I get cold when I play, even on a hot day, so I always ...Las Vegas Interesting Facts Many have had their days of glory in the state of Nevada. But these three step out of the crowd, as they gave the name of the game.Frank RosenthalHe is the best sports handicapper in the history of Las Vegas. He used to be called "Las Vegas King", "Guru", or something that he surely is: a genius. He inaugurated the first sports and ...Strategies of Online Casino Gambling Since the advent of casino gambling and its widespread popularity I've been playing online casino gambling. I also had some good and some bad experiences with online casino gambling. I cannot ever forget those great sessions in which everything happened the way I desired.Hope you could understand the kind of game I am talking about In whi ...Fixed Odds Strategy - Why Hedge when you can Gain an 'Edge'? Is there any point in having a fixed odds strategy? Is it really possible to gain a betting ‘edge’ over the bookmaker? After all it is widely recognised that the odds set are unfair and only serve to increase the over-round. Although it is a formidable task, the answer to both questions, is yes! To do so it is necessary to locate ‘value’ in ...Casino Games - Roulette What would a casino be without a roulette wheel? These elegant red-and-black spinning games of chance are synonymous with gambling. A huge attraction at casinos across the country, the classic roulette wheel remains one of the most exciting casino games available.Here’s how roulette works: the wheel consists of slots or “pockets” numbered ...Seven Card Stud Poker Playing Rules Seven card stud poker is a very popular form of poker played at both the card table and in online poker rooms. Anywhere poker is being played, either online or off, you’ll always find a game of stud poker in progress. Stud poker is one of the poker games where players are dealt some of their cards facing up on the poker table, while other cards ...Turn Twenty Dollars Into Hundreds with Penny Machines Many believe that when you play penny machines in a regulated casino, the payoff is simply not worth the risk. I'm here to state, that is the furthest thing from the truth. I will share the secrets to winning a penny payoff.1. When you look for a penny machine, find one that offers a progressive or at least offers bonus games. Normall ...Football Betting Betting on football is today one of the major activities for football enthusiasts. Football betting has become an easy way to earn some money, have fun and enjoy games with a different touch. Easily, football betting could become an every game activity for most of the football fans.Football betting is definitely not for everyone. You need ...
|
