In addition to commenting on Tier 2, earlier this year the UK Government asked the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) to report on what further changes it thinks there should be to Tier 1 of the Points Based System (PBS) in 2010/11, in light of the current economic circumstances.
The MAC has now completed its consideration of evidence submitted to it and on 4th December 2009 it published its findings on Tier 1. In making its recommendations the MAC considered what measures would most benefit the UK economy but also protect the resident labour market.
The main recommendations put forward by MAC are as follows:
- Individuals with an undergraduate degree as their highest qualification should be allowed to apply under the Tier 1 (General) route, subject to satisfying a higher level of previous earnings;
- Professional qualifications (in law and accountancy, for example) should be considered as equal to a Master's degree;
- The pay threshold for earning points should be raised to £25,000, with no points awarded for salaries below this level;
- Migrants with previous earnings of over £150,000 should not be required to score points for educational qualifications;
- The age threshold for earning points should be raised to 39;
- The initial leave to enter/remain entitlement should be reduced from three years to two, with the possibility of securing a three year extension if the individual continues to be in highly skilled employment;
- The Government should thoroughly review the salary multipliers used to convert previous earnings from outside the UK into a UK equivalent;
- The UK Border Agency should consider the possibility of an employer of a Tier 1 (General) applicant acting as guarantor in respect of the maintenance requirement.
Clearly the MAC recognises the importance of the Tier 1 (General) route of the PBS for the UK economy and believes that it should be retained, with some modifications, to ensure that the UK continues to attract the most highly skilled individuals.
Other Tier 1 routes
In addition to retaining Tier 1 (General), the MAC recommends that the other Tier 1 routes (Post Study Work, Entrepreneur and Investor) are also kept in place. With regard to Tier 1 (Post Study Work), the MAC recommends that the Government researches the economic returns to studying at particular educational institutions and for particular degree subjects with a view to eventually tailoring access to the Post Study Work route. For the Entrepreneur route, the MAC recommends that the UK Border Agency investigates how many jobs are created by individuals in the UK in this category.
It is expected that the Government will announce whether it accepts some or all of the MAC’s recommendations in early 2010.
The full report can be accessed here.
