Home Office lacks skills in visa changes

Want to work in banking on a highly skilled migrant visa? You may need to wait a week or two.

"If it ain't broke, don't fix it," is not a maxim that the Home Office appears to be following in the new immigration regime it has announced for highly skilled workers.

Earlier this month the government issued new guidelines on immigration, with changes to the Highly Skilled Migrant Programme (HSMP) much loved of immigrant bankers.

The new system requires candidates to accumulate at least 75 points on the basis of academic qualifications, experience and proficiency in English.

But it was not until City recruiters mined down to the footnotes of the press release that became aware that the widely-used programme was being suspended until 5 December, pending the introduction of the pilot.

Tim Connellan, a director of Healy Hunt, complained that the Home Office "Tend to make the rules on the hop in response to people's and the media's concern over the number of migrants coming in. They have suspended the rules without warning."

He tells us the changes are counterproductive as candidates are filling a well-documented shortage of skills in the City.

Connellan adds, "Such changes do not take account of the amount of pain caused to high-quality candidates with job offers waiting to arrive to work in the UK."

Jim Nairn of The Cornell Partnership says anyone academically bright enough to work in investment banking should breeze though any system but the points requirement may limit the chances for those with less experience. His concern is for less experienced candidates.

The Home Office told us the HSMP has been suspended in order to help "manage the transition to the new arrangements."