RAMP Project Response to the MAC report on points-based system and salary thresholds
The RAMP Project welcomes with cautious optimism the advice to the Government from the Migration Advisory Committee published last week to recommend a lower salary than the original proposal of £30,000, as parliamentarians who are part of the RAMP Project have called for repeatedly. Based on our engagement and analysis, and through the work of the APPG on Migration, the RAMP Project acknowledges that the MAC's proposal of £25,600 is a step in the right direction and we applaud the call for some NHS staff and teachers to be taken out of salary thresholds. We would however challenge the Government to think again about the impact on social care and hospitality. These are crucial sectors for the economy and our society. The proposals that have been set out by the MAC, if implemented, would significantly undermine these sectors' ability to recruit effectively and fill critical shortages, which will not be satisfied by the resident labour workforce in the short term.
Other issues raised by the transition away from free movement of EU migrant labour remain unaddressed. If the Government maintains an employer-sponsored system, we would urge them to put forward measures that would help small businesses to better understand the demands of sponsorship licences and the costs associated with them.
The APPG migration earlier this month held a session on self-employment, an area that is often overlooked in the immigration system and one we would ask the Government to carefully consider paying far greater attention to, especially in terms of the impact on both the construction industry and creatives sector, both of which rely heavily on self-employed people.
The RAMP Project exists to champion an approach to immigration that is evidence led, reflecting the needs of the economy while protecting the rights of individuals and communities. Therefore, we urge the Government to consider carefully the MAC’s recommendations and act on them. It is important we recognise it is in everyone’s interest to build an immigration system that is compassionate, managed, and genuinely open to the world.