Salary requirements for UK work visas look set to keep rising after the Tier 2 visa certificate of sponsorship limit was breached for the sixth consecutive month.
According to People Management, certificates of sponsorship have now been oversubscribed since December 2017, and employers have had to become increasingly strategic in how they approach the issue.
The UK Visas and Immigration department has revealed that successful applicants in May had to earn 51 points - more than double the minimum requirement of 21 points and higher than the 46 points required in April.
Because of the way the points-based system operates, the minimum salary required to hire a non-EU worker effectively increases whenever this limit is reached. May’s 51-point requirement roughly equates to a salary of at least £55,000 (US$73,110) for most jobs.
Jonathan Beech, managing director at immigration legal experts Migrate UK, said: "We have had some employers that have wanted to fill roles since 2016 with the onset of Brexit. This is a couple of million roles and not just lower-skilled workers... There does seem to be a drive in the UK for labour, but employers are needing a sponsorship licence."
Beech said he did not think the points would drop below their current rate unless there was a major shift in policy. The problem is that the points system does not take account of fluctuations in demand or labour supply, which means some sectors have been adversely affected by economic conditions over recent months.
The National Health Service (NHS) is being particularly hard hit by the increasingly strict visa requirements. Danny Mortimer, chief executive of NHS Employers, revealed in April that he knew of at least 400 doctors who had been blocked from entering the UK to take up a position.
But an Ipsos Mori survey, run on behalf of the Evening Standard, found that the majority of UK adults thought the cap on skilled workers such as medics from outside the EU should either be relaxed or abolished. More than a third of respondents also believed there should be no cap on doctors, while more than a quarter felt that more visas should be issued across the board.
Meanwhile, a petition launched last month calling on the government to remove shortage occupation codes and NHS positions from the Tier 2 visa cap has gained more than 1,300 signatures.
Emma Woollacott is a freelance business journalist. Her work has appeared in a wide range of publications, including the Guardian, the Times, Forbes and the BBC.
Salary requirements for UK work visas look set to keep rising after the Tier 2 visa certificate of sponsorship limit was breached for the sixth consecutive month.
According to People Management, certificates of sponsorship have now been oversubscribed since December 2017, and employers have had to become increasingly strategic in how they approach the issue.
The UK Visas and Immigration department has revealed that successful applicants in May had to earn 51 points - more than double the minimum requirement of 21 points and higher than the 46 points required in April.
Because of the way the points-based system operates, the minimum salary required to hire a non-EU worker effectively increases whenever this limit is reached. May’s 51-point requirement roughly equates to a salary of at least £55,000 (US$73,110) for most jobs.
Jonathan Beech, managing director at immigration legal experts Migrate UK, said: "We have had some employers that have wanted to fill roles since 2016 with the onset of Brexit. This is a couple of million roles and not just lower-skilled workers... There does seem to be a drive in the UK for labour, but employers are needing a sponsorship licence."
Beech said he did not think the points would drop below their current rate unless there was a major shift in policy. The problem is that the points system does not take account of fluctuations in demand or labour supply, which means some sectors have been adversely affected by economic conditions over recent months.
The National Health Service (NHS) is being particularly hard hit by the increasingly strict visa requirements. Danny Mortimer, chief executive of NHS Employers, revealed in April that he knew of at least 400 doctors who had been blocked from entering the UK to take up a position.
But an Ipsos Mori survey, run on behalf of the Evening Standard, found that the majority of UK adults thought the cap on skilled workers such as medics from outside the EU should either be relaxed or abolished. More than a third of respondents also believed there should be no cap on doctors, while more than a quarter felt that more visas should be issued across the board.
Meanwhile, a petition launched last month calling on the government to remove shortage occupation codes and NHS positions from the Tier 2 visa cap has gained more than 1,300 signatures.
Emma Woollacott is a freelance business journalist. Her work has appeared in a wide range of publications, including the Guardian, the Times, Forbes and the BBC.
