London's financial services recruiters complain they're being hassled by pushy candidates without the right to work in the UK
Times are hard for everyone. As we've acknowledged before, they're especially hard if you're a non-EU banker in London without UK residency or if you're an overseas student who has to leave the country almost immediately after graduation now that 2 year post study work visas are no longer available.
Qualified overseas candidates see no reason why they should leave the UK just because the country's visa rules have been tightened. One vented his frustration in our comments section recently (yes, we had a comment). "I feel totally destroyed," he complained. "I am awaiting my results now but what’s the use? I will not get a Post Study Work Visa to recover what I spent on my education and living in UK... I hate these British people and their culture."
Recruiters say they're bearing the brunt of these sentiments. New graduates and junior bankers are indignant that banks won't hire them because they don't have the right visa. Recruiters are a soft target.
"People are very frustrated," one financial services recruiter told us. "Some of the most frustrated Russians and Chinese who've studied in the UK or have spent a short time working here already, but don't have UK residency or the right kind of visa. We've had people turning up for interviews even when we've told them we can't consider them because of their visa situation," he adds. "It's very hard."
Although banks claim to be willing to employ overseas nationals and an apply for tier two visas for candidates, recruiters say they're often unwilling to do so. The application process is a long one and with tier two visas rationed, many prefer to save them for senior staff.
"We've had people getting very annoyed and saying they'll contact their lawyers," says one recruiter. "But they need to understand that there's nothing we can do about it. Banks are within their rights to refuse to hire someone if they don't have indefinite right to remain, and there are so many candidates available on the market now that many banks are doing so."
