Migration Advisory Committee to advise on future salary thresholds

The Home Secretary announced today that the #Migration #Advisory #Committee (#MAC) has been commissioned to advise on the future minimum salary threshold for the new #immigration system (due to be phased in from 2021).

Currently, the minimum #salary_threshold is £30,000 for experienced workers and £20,800 for new entrants (graduates / under 25 years old) which the MAC has previously endorsed as the correct minimum salary threshold for the new system.

However, the Home Secretary wants to broaden MAC advice in understanding how the minimum salary threshold should be calculated, whether there is a necessity for regional salary thresholds, exceptions to the salary threshold and for those who are new to the job or working in a shortage occupation.

The request from the Home Secretary appears to be a move to scrap all of the work the MAC had done when they were last asked to review the salary threshold for EEA workers post Brexit. At the time, the MAC was of the view that the current threshold should remain for the new immigration system.

Will the MAC come up with something different? We will all need to hold our breathes as the report will not be due to until January 2020.

However, what we can deduce from the latest request from the Home Office appears to be the willingness to listen to businesses and the willingness to fully understand what the state of play ought to be post-Brexit.

Although we have yet to receive any details of what the new immigration system will look like. We do know that it will include measures such as:

- removing the cap on skilled worker numbers

- speeding up processing times for work visas

- scrapping resident labour market tests

- widening the skills thresholds so that anyone with the equivalent of A levels can apply under the new skilled workers' route

We are all genuinely excited to see these changes as it unfolds gradually, in the near future.

We will keep you abreast of these changes as they come along.

Shores & Legal are experienced and expert immigration partners for your business and personal immigration requirements. If you wish to discuss your UK immigration requirements, contact us at +44 (0) 207 097 6778 or info@shoreslegal.com.