Getting UK job visa will be tougher from April
Amidst rising unemployment, Britain is putting new immigration restrictions on professionals from India and other non-European Union (EU) countries so that jobs are first offered to local workers.
From April, the basic requirements to enter Britain under the Tier 1 category of the points-based immigration system will be raised. The qualification and minimum salary levels for Indian and non-EU professionals will be raised to a master’s degree and £20,000 from the current requirement of an undergraduate degree and £17,000.
Last year, more than 25,000 people, including many Indians, entered Britain under the Tier 1 category.
Changes are also expected in the Tier 2 category and for families of migrants.
Home Secretary Jacqui Smith is expected to announce the new measures soon.
Only those industries officially recognised as having a skills shortage will be able to recruit from outside the European Union.
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