Immigrants will need to earn £35,000 to settle

Has anyone heard about this?

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/new-migrant-rules-will-cost-nhs-thousands-of-nurses-says-union-10335348.html

Yeah, this was part of the proposed move to gradually increase the salary Tier 2 migrants will need to earn to qualify for settlement.  There are exceptions for shortage occupations and PhD positions.

£35,000 on or after 6 April 2016
£35,500 on or after 6 April 2018
£35,800 on or after 6 April 2019
£36,200 on or after 6 April 2020

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/420536/20150406_immigration_rules_appendix_i_final.pdf

This is old news, surely.

The rule that Tier 2 General holders will be required to be earning £35,000 per year in order to qualify for settlement was brought in about 4 years ago and will come into effect from April 2016 when the first Tier 2 holders will be applying for ILR under this rule.

See: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/117953/tiers125-pbs-overseas-soi.pdf


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It's popped up today on a few sites, but when I looked for more articles I saw they were all dated 2012. I hadn't heard about this, though, and I figured maybe a few others had missed it too.

This is old news, surely.

  Yes, years old. Isn't that what is known as the Dead Donkey story?

They missed some of the new proposed immigration changes, some of which will be announced in the autumn.
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/pm-announces-migration-advisory-committee

I'm trying to figure out the rationale behind this.

Apparently the powers-that-be feel that bringing in Tier 2s undercuts the market and thus dis-incentivises (I can't get that word to work) industry from training needed workers - and perspective British workers seek better paying jobs. I don't know.

Perhaps pay is too low? Or is it that British workers should understand that they are expecting too much? Will expelling foreign workers create a supply/demand situation whereby wages rise creating a new market for training systems?

I don't know. Studies I have read, including the Lord's report of 2000 something, show that immigrant workers do indeed produce a downward pressure on wages, but only at the low-end. And only by a very small bit. This doesn't seem to be the case at Tier 2 level (where wage requirements are already in place).

I am baffled. Is their point that having met the initial income requirements Tier 2s should then have made some sort of progress towards a higher pay level? Why not just raise the initial income requirement?

Looks like that is for work visas, not the settlement for spouse/family monetary requirements, correct?

Yes, it's only for Tier 2 work visas.

The only income requirement for spouse visas is the £18,600 per year requirement - when you have the visa and are in the UK, your income can count as well... So for the next visa, you just have to earn £18,600 between you, rather than it being all on the UK citizen.


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