More Information On UK Immigration Cap

09 Nov 2010

Home Secretary Theresa May revealed that 160,000 students who obtain UK visas to undertake below degree level courses will be reduced drastically.  She also clarified that intra-company transfers would be exempt from the UK visa cap which would be limited to only high-level employees meeting skill and salary requirements.

She also stated that she intends to end the right to permanent settlement for more than 100,000 skilled workers and overseas students entering Britain each year and want to end up any connection between temporary visas and permanent settlement. As such, UK immigration cap would only reduce net migration to the UK by a maximum of 20 per cent.

At the same time, she also mentioned that her goal is to bring high value migrants to UK such as investors and research scientists and encourage employers to provide jobs to local unemployed workers.

The UK immigration cap is set to take effect in April 2011, while an announcement on the exact provisions of the cap is expected soon.

 “So over the coming months action will be taken on students, families and settlement as well as people coming here to work," she added.