A coalition of business and education bodies, including the Recruitment and Employment Confederation, have called on the government to commit to action on reforming the immigration system to avoid worsening the UK’s chronic skills and labour shortage.

London First, a non-profit business advocacy group, in partnership with the REC, techUK, British Retail Consortium, and several other business and education bodies are calling for four reforms.

The first is to lower the salary threshold proposed in the Immigration White Paper from £30,000 to £20,000. The second reform is to extend the temporary work route for overseas workers from one year to two years. The third is to revise the sponsorship model to make it easier for firms of all sizes to bring in the overseas talent they need, and the last is to reinstate the two-year post-study visa for international students to work in the UK post-graduation.

The group has also written to both Prime Minister candidates.

The letter reads: “Our country needs a fair and managed immigration system that keeps it open to all levels of talent that our economy and local services sorely need. It is crucial that this system recognises the benefits of international talent whilst ensuring the right controls are in place for managing immigration more effectively, necessary for ensuring the public’s trust”

 “Without the ability to access international talent, many of our world-class sectors are at significant risk,” the letter continues. “As the UK prepares to leave the EU in the near future, it is imperative that the government puts in place measures that will avoid employers facing a cliff-edge in recruitment, and works towards building a successful economy that is open and attractive.”

Neil Carberry, Chief Executive, REC, commented, “A healthy UK economy will need people coming from abroad to contribute at all skill levels, across a wide range of sectors. Concrete responses to the proposals in our letter, which - amongst other things - calls for a two-year temporary work route (instead of one year as currently exists), will take some edge off the uncertainty around access to labour that Brexit is exacerbating.”