Following Labour’s victory on 4 July 2024, employers who are struggling with the current restrictive visa system may be wondering if things will be relaxed in future. In this blog, we take a look at what indications Labour has given regarding their plans for business immigration and what employers can do to prepare themselves for any change.
What are Labour’s plans for business immigration?
In their manifesto, Labour criticised the economy being overly dependent on workers from abroad and stated they would cut net migration. However, they did not indicate that there would be an overall cap on visas.
Labour stated that they would reduce reliance on overseas workers in high-migration sectors such as health and social care and construction by bringing in workforce and training plans.
For employers who abuse the visa system or flout employment laws, Labour proposes preventing them from hiring overseas workers.
Whilst the manifesto contains some key aims, which can help us understand how Labour might develop the immigration system, there is little clear detail. It is likely that the scrutiny of the care sector will continue and that the changes recently introduced to the skilled worker visa are likely to stay.
How can employers prepare for the future?
With no clarity on what changes may come in the future, employers can still take steps to ensure they have the best opportunity to recruit migrant workers by:
- Reviewing right to work documents and processes to ensure compliance.
- Checking all sponsored employee files to ensure they are up to date and contain the documents sponsors are required to keep throughout the period of sponsorship and two years thereafter.
- Confirming that any changes to the sponsor licence have been made where there have been corporate changes within the business.
- Considering bringing forward recruitment plans so they can be completed under current Immigration Rules before any changes, why tend to occur in April and October each year.
- Compile supporting evidence for all Certificate of Sponsorship requests to ensure there is strong justification for sponsorship
