Experts have warned that the salary requirements for people from outside the European Union applying for UK visas will continue to rise after Tier 2 work permit sponsorship limit was breached for the sixth month in a row.
According to a monthly report from the UK Visas and Immigration department, the successful applicants of certificates of sponsorship for UK Tier 2 work permits in May were required to earn 51 points, more than double the set minimum requirement of 21 points and five points higher than the requirement in April.
As a result of the points-based system, the minimum salary required to hire a non-EU workers rises based on demand. This means the rise of the number of points required to 51 will equate to an increase in the required salary to £55,000 for the majority of jobs.
Commenting on the issue, Jonathan Beech, managing director of Migrate UK, stated that this increase will lead to unintentional favouritism for industries that pay well, including finance. However, he added that even these industries are struggling to fill gaps in positions as a result of the rising salary requirement.
“We have had some employers that have wanted to fill roles since 2016 with the onset of Brexit,” he said. “This is a couple of million roles and not just lower-skilled workers… There does seem to be a drive in the UK for labour, but employers are needing a sponsorship licence.”