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News of the immigration shake-up came after the Home Secretary- David Blunkett announced he was looking into replacing the existing system in an effort to cut down on 'illegality within the market' and increase the country’s skilled workforce in an article in The Sunday Times.
The existing 'Fast-track' system, subject to be replaced in the revision, was set up last October to tackle the skills shortage in the IT industry. The initiative was launched by Margaret Hodge- DfEE Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the time after her Home Office colleague Barbara Roche recognised the 'international scramble to attract IT experts.'
The scheme brought in 16,342 skilled workers from over 10 different countries last year alone but its inclusion in the overhaul has hinted that the number of IT workers available in the UK in general is still falling short of demand.
The main difference between the existing and proposed systems is that under the current Fast-track scheme companies wishing to employ foreign workers must apply for workers' permits and be responsible for the administrative burden of bringing them to into the UK themselves. Under the proposed 'Green Card' system actively being considered, skilled workers from abroad can apply for work permits and visas directly thus further speeding up the process.
Under the blueprint US system, only a given number of green cards are officially issued each year and successful applicants are given the opportunity to gain citizenship after 5 years of residence. No decision has been taken yet on whether a similar provision would apply under the UK's version of the scheme.
The number of permits issued in the US depends largely on labour shortages. The UK will doubtless be looking to avoid a repeat of the current situation in the US where an over-issuing of visas recently led to 10,000 Indian workers being sent home in the current economic downturn with an estimated 50,000 more to follow by the end of the year.
Speaking of the changes, a Home Office spokesman said: "We are looking at a new work permit system with a view to potentially marrying up the issues of economic migrants who have identifiable skills with the issue of labour shortages. We will additionally be looking at other countries' work permit and immigration systems to see if we can derive anything from them. We are also considering commissioning a study of 'illegal working' with the main aim being to take the illegality out of the foreign labour market."
On the subject of illegal 'body shop' agencies who exploit cheap foreign workers by pocketing inflated margins of the money they charge to the client and pay to the worker, he said, "It is at a very early stage and David Blunkett is still getting his feet under the table- but we've identified the problem and we're looking at various existing systems from around the world to see how we can best deal with it."
Addressing the problems of both 'body-shopping' and illegal entry into the UK in his article, Blunkett wrote: "Connecting the work permit system with the needs of the economy will pull the rug on the gang masters and provide a controlled but legal route for people who seek work to fill Britain's skill shortages."
Related stories:
Fast track visas start a flood
Government unveils [Fast-track] visa details
US approves massive increase in Visas
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