Ann Swain, Chief Executive at the Association of Professional Staffing Companies (APSCo), comments:
“After five years campaigning on this, we are pleased the Government has decided to tighten up the rules governing intra-company transfers.”
“Whether the £40,000 minimum salary will reduce the number of intra-company transfers in the IT sector is debatable. The average UK wage for IT professionals is close to £40,000, and it is questionable how many workers earn less that that once they arrive.”
“We will be seeking clarity from the Government on how the £40,000 minimum will be reviewed.”
“About 80% of non-EU IT workers come to the UK on intra-company transfers. The cap won’t significantly reduce that influx.”
“We need full transparency on the pay and terms of conditions of workers entering the UK via the intra-company transfer route. The current system is far too opaque and is open to abuse. These proposals don’t radically change that.”
“The cap is a blunt tool which could do more damage than good. The vast majority of foreign workers arriving in the UK are EU nationals who won’t be affected by the cap.”
“Worries over immigration centre on low skilled workers being undercut, so capping the flow of highly skilled workers seems a strange policy.”
“By imposing an inflexible cap, the Government could be damaging high value sectors of the economy where skills shortages can hinder growth.”
“If staffing companies were allowed to apply for visas the total number of workers entering the UK should fall.”
APSCo says that this is because work visas last for five years but IT projects generally last nowhere near that length of time. When projects finish migrant workers remain with their sponsoring companies, often taking positions that could be filled by UK domiciled workers.
“If staffing companies could act as sponsors, non-EU workers could be re-assigned to other businesses with similar requirements, in roles where they use the skills for which they were brought to the UK. In this way the skills requirements of a number of different businesses could be satisfied by a single worker.”
