UK immigration's new salary threshold challenges Indian skilled workers

London: Significantly higher salary thresholds for overseas workers, including Indians, applying for the UK's Skilled Worker visas kicked in on Thursday, as part of tough new measures announced earlier to cut Britain's overall migration figures.

For those applying under the Skilled Worker visa route, the salary threshold for an application will rise from GBP 26,200 to GBP 38,700 an increase of 48%.

The UK Home Office said it forms part of a robust and fair package of measures, which will mean 300,000 people who arrived in the UK last year would now not be able to and also prevent undercutting of domestic workers by cheap overseas labour.

“It's time to turn off the taps and end the flow of cheap workers from abroad. Mass migration is unsustainable, and it's simply not fair. It undercuts the wages of hard-working people who are just trying to make ends meet,” said UK Home Secretary James Cleverly.

“We are refocusing our immigration system to prioritise the brightest and best who have the skills our economy needs while reducing overall numbers. I promised the British people an immigration system that serves their interests, and to bring numbers down - these tough measures deliver on that commitment. Employers must also play their part and put British workers first,” he said.

On April 11, an incremental increase to the minimum income required for overseas applicants to bring their dependents on Family Visas will also come into force rising to GBP 29,000 from GBP 18,600.

By early next year, this is set to match the Skilled Worker visa threshold of GBP 38,700, which the Home Office said would ensure family dependents brought to the UK are supported financially.

The government is clear that no sector should be permanently reliant on immigration, so today, the Shortage Occupation List has also been abolished, with employers no longer able to pay migrants less than UK workers in shortage occupations, the Home Office said.

Under a new Immigration Salary List (ISL), created on the advice of the independent Migration Advisory Committee (MAC), roles will only be included where they are skilled and in shortage, considering the efforts being made by sectors to invest in the resident workforce.

The Home Office said inclusion on the ISL must not serve to reduce pay and undermine the recruitment of British workers, and employers should be encouraged to invest in training, upskilling, and hiring domestic workers first.

For too long, we have relied on labour from abroad when there is great talent right here in the UK The changes coming into force today, coupled with my next generation of welfare reforms, will unlock the huge potential of the great British workforce, said UK Work and Pension Secretary Mel Stride.

The latest moves follow a recent ban on post-graduate students, except on major research projects, from bringing family dependents to the UK.

Last month, reforms to restrict care workers from bringing family members also came into force, with providers required to register with industry regulator Care Quality Commission (CQC) to crack down on reported visa misuse and exploitation in the sector.

The changes are expected to impact Indians as a nationality, which currently leads the UK's tally of skilled workers, healthcare professionals and students from overseas.

According to recent Office for National Statistics (ONS) statistics, Indians under the Skilled Worker route registered a small decline of 11 per cent from 20,360 visas to 18,107 between September 2022 and 2023.

On the dependent family visa front, Indian nationals had the second-highest number of dependents after Nigeria at 43,445 in the year ending September 2023.

In the student visa category, Indian nationals continued to represent the largest group of students granted leave to remain on the post-study Graduate visa route, representing 43% of grants.

A review of the route is now underway by MAC, which the Home Office says would prevent abuse and ensure it works in the best interests of the UK. It is expected to report later this year.