Cable criticises Cameron immigration targets

Expert opinion came down firmly on the side of Vince Cable yesterday after he criticised the “very unwise” targets set by the Prime Minister to cut non-EU immigration to “tens of thousands” a year.  The Liberal Democrat Business Secretary has repeatedly expressed fears that a permanent cap on immigration could damage UK economic competitiveness by […]

Eight jobs removed from ‘skills shortage’ list

Senior care workers and migrant chefs from outside of the EU seeking employment in any restaurant that provides a takeaway service are among eight occupations to be banned from working in the UK.  The coalition government plans to put the restrictions in place as part of a package of anti-immigration measures intended to cut the […]

Immigration cap is hindering UK business

As demand for non-EU migrant workers increases despite rising levels of unemployment, the coalition government’s temporary migration cap is hindering employers’ ability to fill key positions, an HR body has cautioned. The warning came as the Office for National Statistics revealed that the level of net migration into the UK increased by 36% last year, […]

Ask the expert: Employee’ residence permit expires on maternity leave – what do we do?

This time the experts, Esther Smith and Martin Brewer give their advice on what an employer should do when an employee’s residency permit runs out during maternity leave. The question: Employee’ residence permit expires on maternity leave – what do we do? I realise that one of our employees’ residence permit expires shortly (whilst she […]

Jobs for skilled workers should be cut by 1/3

The number of occupations available to skilled workers coming to the UK from outside the EU should be cut by more than a third, a government-appointed panel has recommended.  The Migration Advisory Committee proposed that the list of eligible jobs should be reduced to 121 from 192, which would result in the exclusion of hairdressers, […]

Work visa crack down proposed

Immigration minister Damian Green is proposing to crack down on work visas for non-EU students after they leave education in order to create a “fair playing field” for UK graduates trying to enter the jobs market.  In a speech to the think tank Reform, Green claimed that change was necessary to stop people from using […]

Immigration cap could be challenged

The coalition government’s decision to cut off Tier One visas to skilled workers from outside of the EU with effectively no notice could be subject to legal challenge, an immigration specialist has warned.  The same applies to the setting of an interim limit of 10,832 on the number of certificates of sponsorship that are available […]

Update: Immigration cap legislation and how it affects you

One of the keystones of the Conservative party’s election manifesto was to reduce net migration to tens of thousands. Here Kerry Garcia outlines the latest plans. Businesses and politicians alike have expressed concerns about the impact this will have on employers. The government recently set out its proposals for implementing this permanent cap on non-EEA […]

Migration cap open to abuse, say critics

The coalition government’s annual cap on the number of skilled non-EU migrants is a “blunt tool” that will do nothing to prevent current abuse of the intra-company transfer system, critics have warned.  The Home Secretary Theresa May announced the cap yesterday, indicating that as of next year, there would be an annual cap of 21,700 […]

UK ‘too accomodating’ to immigration appeals, claims inspector

The UK Border Agency has failed to create a “hostile environment” for employers of illegal migrant workers, collecting only a fraction of the fines imposed by adopting “too accommodating” an approach towards appeals.  According to John Vine, the independent chief inspector of immigration, the Agency has collected only £5.6 million of the £40 million in […]

Globalisation creates challenges for HR

Globalisation across workforces has seen exponential growth in the last two decades, and after a dip during the most recent recession, is now emerging again within HR, creating challenges as well as opportunities, and tremendous uncertainty. In a new major study by the IBM Institute for Business Value, more than 700 chief HR officers and […]

Migrant worker cut a concern

A recommendation to cut the number of migrant workers to the UK from outside the European Union by up to 25% a year has been met with concern by employers and other industry watchers.  The Migration Advisory Committee, an independent body tasked with recommending suitable levels for the coalition government’s proposed immigration cap, proposed allowing […]

Radical immigration cap will mean major skills problems

Because training workers to plug the UK skills gap is a lengthy task, the abrupt introduction of a “radical” immigration cap would generate major skills problems for employers and lead to more offshoring.  The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) issued the stark warning after the Office of National Statistics’ Migration Statistics Quarterly Report […]

Undercover Boss – Narin Ganesh’s filming diary

Narin Ganesh is the FD of Crown Relocations, a company which offers packing and moving services worldwide. The new FD took his chance to go undercover in the organisation with Channel 4’s Undercover Boss in this week’s episode on Thursday at 9pm. In a preview to the episode, we get to see his filming diary […]

Immigration cap: it’s happening

Even though business and Cabinet disquiet over a proposed immigration cap will lead to a wide-ranging consultation on the issue, the government is expected to implement the measures anyway. According to the Daily Telegraph, Home Secretary Theresa May is set to announce the consultation imminently, after members of the Cabinet privately expressed concern that a […]

HR solutions for small and dispersed populations

In a globalised environment, how do organisations with small employee numbers and a wide geographical distribution make the case for HR technology investment or outsourcing? Rachel Anderson advises.     The demands of a multi-national environment mean organisations often have sophisticated local HR requirements but with a small number of employees in each location, which often […]

HR tip: Lawful discrimination

These questions are being answered by Learn HR, a market leader in the provision of HR and payroll training and nationally-recognised professional qualifications. Question:"We have a large number of Pakistanis in our workforce but no Pakistani supervisors, although we believe that some of them could perform well in that role if they were given training. Will […]