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Immigration Controls: Foreign Workers

Volume 486: debated on Thursday 15 January 2009

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department with reference to her statement of 21 October 2008, Official Report, column 175, what the evidential basis is for the statement that 12 per cent. fewer low-skilled workers from outside the EU would have come to the UK to work last year had Tier 2 of the points-based migration system been in place. (241595)

We expect volumes for Tier 2 General and Intra-Company Transfers (skilled workers within the points-based System) to decrease because of the requirement to satisfy points criteria, such as prospective earnings and qualifications thresholds.

Using data from work permit applications, including on earnings, we estimated that if tighter Tier 2 rules had been in place last year, 12.1 per cent. fewer people from outside EEA would have been allowed into Britain in that category (skilled migrants).