Britain announces stricter visa measures to reduce net migration

The UK announced plans to reduce legal migration by increasing the minimum salary for skilled jobs by a third. The move is part of Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s efforts to address record net migration figures. The new measures, criticized by businesses and trade unions, include raising the minimum salary threshold for foreign skilled workers to £38,700 ($48,900) from £26,200. Health and social workers are exempt from this change. Additional measures involve preventing foreign health workers from bringing in family members, a 66% increase in the health service surcharge for migrants, and raising the minimum income for family visas. The government aims to reduce annual net migration by 300,000 from the record 745,000 reported in 2022. The announcement may lead to disagreements with businesses struggling with labor shortages amid the end of free movement from the EU.

Source – CGTN