A raft of recent visa and immigration measures has created the perception of a hostile environment for migrants in the UK, affecting a host of categories – from medical professionals and care workers to students.
This comes against the worrying backdrop of a slowdown in British growth in the aftermath of Brexit. The two issues are somewhat connected, given that managed immigration has been correlated with economic growth. While those on the right of the political spectrum build on public fears around immigration pressures on public services, it cannot be dismissed that migrants are important to the country’s businesses and institutions such as the NHS, particularly at a time when the health service is struggling with staff shortages to tackle the post-Covid backlog. Nonetheless, amid genuine pressure to minimise migration, damaging rhetoric also tends to gain ground.
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This has led to measures that are already showing results in a slowdown of migrants seeking visas to the UK. This will negatively impact the British economy, given that immigration from outside the European Economic Area (EEA) contributes between £3 and £5bn annually – a figure most definitely set for a downward trajectory as a result of recent visa crackdowns. According to definitive analyses, the UK economy has lost around £140bn in the wake of Brexit and migration does play a role in this.
A recent review of the Graduate Visa route found that this post-study work visa has not been abused, by people overstaying illegally after their visas expired, as had been feared and the independent Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) recommended keeping the route open for now. However, there are reports that the UK government may not heed this advice on a visa hugely popular in attracting bright Indian students. University and business chiefs have all warned against any restrictions on this route, which could see higher education institutions lose out on crucial international fees that are crucial to their financial health.
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Changes have also been made to dependency rules – students can no longer bring dependents to the UK as of Spring 2024, which the MAC said is already having an impact on student visas. Increased salary thresholds are also making it harder for workers to stay in Britain, as not everyone can find a job that meets the appropriate salary threshold to remain in the country after their studies or training is completed. The Skilled Worker route for immigration, for example, has recently had its salary threshold increased sharply from £26,000 to £38,000, making finding viable employment to stay in Britain significantly harder for overseas students. There is a petition before Parliament on behalf of stranded care workers, urging the government for more time for them to find employment – given that the care industry is in desperate need for staff.
It is a particularly poignant issue given that many care workers are facing deportation for enforcement action taken against their employers and sponsors by the Home Office, despite doing nothing wrong themselves. Some of them have been swindled by their sponsors after spending many thousands of pounds to leave countries such as India and Nigeria for the UK. They land in Britain only to find that the jobs they have come for do not exist.
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These developments highlight how foreign workers and students are faced with an unfair burden at a time when the economy does require their labour and indeed university fees.
Meanwhile, the UK is grappling with an enormous illegal immigration challenge, which complicates the issue further in a year when the government will soon be facing the electorate in a general election. Tackling the ongoing small boats crisis of migrants trying to reach the UK illegally by crossing the English Channel in small boats remains a top priority for the Rishi Sunak led government – with the plan to deport them to Rwanda caught up in its own legal wrangles.
All of this plays out alongside the ease of movement for skilled workers being seen as a core issue for a rapidly growing India, with its inevitable impact on UK-India relations. Arguably, the issue has already contributed to delays in the signing of a proposed UK-India free trade agreement (FTA).
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Growing damaging visa rhetoric that sends an unwelcome message to young Indians, who have other higher education and skilled work destinations to choose from, will ultimately only hurt the UK economy and bilateral relations in the longer term.
Jeevan Vipinachandran is a UK-based writer and political analyst specialising in political conflict and counter-terrorism. With a Masters in Comparative Politics: Conflict Studies from the London School of Economics (LSE), his core interest is in international relations with a special focus on the rise of India and its impact on the world stage.
*Info/Sources: Immigration Review; Post-Brexit Impact; Petition