UK May Tighten Visa Rules for Hiring Foreign Tech Workers

The UK government is thinking about changing visa rules to make it harder for foreign IT, telecom, and engineering professionals to work in the UK. This could affect many Indian workers who help fill important roles in these industries.

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper asked the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) to look into how much these sectors rely on international workers. She pointed out that these sectors are among the top ten for depending on foreign talent because of ongoing skills shortages in the UK.

The review might consider raising the minimum salary for foreign workers or adding restrictions on where they can be hired. Cooper wants MAC to find out why there are labor shortages and what these sectors have done to solve the problem besides hiring from abroad.

The MAC will give its recommendations in about nine months. IT consultant Ganapati Bhat from Bengaluru, who has worked in the UK since 2007, said, “There’s no need to change the policy just because of concerns about immigration. We still can’t fill the job openings in Britain because the salaries aren’t as high as in India and the US when you consider the cost of living.”