Burnham’s new visa guidelines slammed as migrants ‘could possibly be compelled to depart’
Unison has warned that migrant workers in health and social care could be forced to leave the UK due to changes to visa settlement rules that would see essential workers wait 15 years instead of five
He’s been slammed(Image: Ian Forsyth, Getty Images)
Alterations to visa regulations for essential workers demonstrate how little public service staff are appreciated, according to a prominent union. Unison cautioned that migrant workers could be compelled to depart the UK due to the modifications.
The union called on the Government to reconsider proposals it claimed would drive away international personnel despite staffing shortages.Numerous key workers face witnessing the qualification period for settling in the UK triple, the union stated.
Unison’s senior vice president Debbie Rowden said: “Instead of the five years to settlement that was originally promised, the Government now wants to keep them waiting for 15 years.
“They specifically targeted Unison members working in health and social care, saying their work was ‘low waged and low skilled’.
“They said people who do this work didn’t contribute enough to this country. This isn’t just an attack on migrant workers, but on all of us who do work that isn’t valued as it should be.”
Addressing the TUC Congress in Brighton, she highlighted a disconnect between reality and theory regarding the employment rights of migrant workers. The union has been lobbying for the extension in the settlement period (indefinite leave to remain) to be scrapped.
Some of the new rules include:
Higher English Language Threshold: Applicants for Skilled Worker, High Potential Individual (HPI), and Scale-up visas must meet the higher CEFR Level B2 standard (up from B1).
Stricter Occupation Eligibility: Standard Skilled Worker sponsorship is largely restricted to roles requiring degree-level qualifications (RQF Level 6 or above), phasing out many sub-degree positions.
Overseas Care Worker Restrictions: Recruitment of adult social care workers from abroad has ended, alongside bans on bringing dependants for care staff.
Salary Checks: UK Visas & Immigration (UKVI) requires employers to demonstrate that sponsored workers meet minimum hourly and periodic thresholds within individual pay cycles (or across 12-week windows), rather than simply relying on annualized salaries.
Higher Sponsor Costs: The Immigration Skills Charge paid by employers was increased by approximately 32%.
